Into Sudden Darkness
by Lightning Streak
Summary: Sequel to Spinning Out of Control! It didn't help his day out any when Danny finds out that a hurricane was coming. Ecspecially when he was still too weak to use his powers. So, when Sam gets lost in the storm, how will he save the day?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

JOYFULLNESS! I _finally_ decided on a sequel plot. See, for this sequel to Spinning Out of Control, I had a ton of ideas, and the problem was that I could only pick one. So, after watching many movies and reading many books for good inspiration, I picked an idea.

You must read the first story 'Spinning Out of Control' to fully understand this fanfic!

**Note 10-20-07: This is one of the first stories I ever posted on There is possible OOC-ness, awkward wording, and the like within this fanfic. It has been on hiatus for quite sometime, and only recently have I regained the desire to bring it back to life. It will be undergoing some major revision; and, with any luck, I can bring this thing back up to speed. **

**I once made the promise that I would never abandon my writing. I intend to keep that promise. :)**

Anywho, please enjoy!

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**Into Sudden Darkness**

**Prologue**

**Sam's Point of View**

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Sometimes I stay up at night and stare up into the stars for Danny's actual guardian angel. It's almost like she was never there, in retrospect. 

If only I could thank her.

In any case, all was well at last. It had been two months after Danny had gotten out of the hospital, having been cleared as a recovered patient. And, uh... let's just say the hospital's doctors are still recovering from heart attacks after seeing what they thought a dead man walk. Sometimes Danny still gets glances from people, but its mostly died down.

Unfortunately, Danny found out he couldn't activate his powers. You should have seen the frustration on his face when he first tried it, it was so heartbreaking to watch. Every time, it left him extremely weakened and he eventually had to stop trying. Jack and Maddie thought he was having relapses, but that was unfortunately only when they actually paid attention.

After what seemed like an eternity to Danny, we figured out what was wrong. The extreme shock he received from the crash somehow sent his ghost self into temporarily repairing mode.

Huh, I guess even a ghost can be harmed.

However, lately he's been able to go into ghost mode. It's just that he can't do anything while in it. And it can only be for a little while. Jack's "Ghost Health Analyzer" told us he'd be back to normal depending on whether he kept to strengthen his powers. In other words, it means more times for me and Tucker-mostly me- to try and hide Danny's "predicament."

But even a weakness like that has its advantages. Jack somehow got the ghost portal to close for a while, saying he didn't want the ghosts to "excite" Danny.

I scoff at the irony of it all.

But amazingly, everything has been going okay. (Well, except for seeing Danny frustrated...I mean, it's definitely understandable. And it's frustrating to _me_ to see him frustrated.)

Oh well. At least things are getting better.

Infact, these days have been kinda enjoyable. (with a few exceptions.): Just Danny and me. Tucker has been on an important college prep trip. But he's been checking up with us nearly every day. And I'll admit, we're beginning to miss him. A lot. Luckily, Tucker will only be gone for a few more weeks.

But as they say, everything changes. For good or bad.

I just wish I'd known beforehand of the future that had begun to unfold...

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_YAY! The prologue is done! Although I really only liked the very last part, I guess it's okay. Really, this prologue is just an explanation of the events of the past few months after Danny woke up. So, what do you guys think? PLEASE REVIEW! _

_Please review:D_

_Lightning Streak_

_P.S. I apologize for the short chapter. I shall make the next chapters longer!_


	2. What the Heart Wants

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom... O.o

Wow! I'm so happy! I only suggested three reviews, but I got more! However, I don't have time to personally thank each one of you, so I'll say it as one : takes in big breath:. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! YOU ROCK!

So, without further adieu, I give you:

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**Into Sudden Darkness**

**Chapter 1: Only the beginning **

**Sam's pov**

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"Sam, what are you doing up there? You're taking eternity!" I heard Danny call, whining at the front door. Grumbling, I hurriedly finished putting on my make up and picked up my purse off my bed. 

"Okay, I'm ready!" I shouted from my room to the downstairs. Suddenly remembering something, I turned around and snatched a fifty dollar bill from my dresser. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being prepared, right?

"If there's one thing Danny's brain lost it's his patience," I said under my breath. I quickly descended down the steps, careful not to trip over my own feet.

But for all of my trouble, it paid off: I visually saw Danny's jaw drop as I stepped off the stairs. And, as you can imagine, I automatically blushed. "_What? _It's not like you haven't seen me in a dress before!" I indignantly put my hands on my hips.

"Well," he began slowly, "it's just that you've never looked so_ good_ in a dress before." His blue eyes gazed into mine, twinkling with an emotion that I can't exactly place. I stuck my tongue out at him.

It was the night of our Junior Prom, and Danny was taking me. (Surprise surprise, right?)

He, like any other guy, was wearing a tuxedo, except his pants had a silver strip going down the side. His hair was normal; black and droopy, only tonight it wasn't pulled back in an extremely short pony tail.

And I'll admit it; Despite my obvious independence from the male gender, I could have melted to the floor. "You don't look half bad yourself," I tried to say without stuttering.

He just smiled that goofy and adorable smile of his.

As for me, I was wearing a deep red, strapless dress with a black shawl. When I saw it, I fell in love with it right away, and at that particular moment, I was twice as glad that I had gotten it.

"You ready?" Danny asked. I nodded and we laced our arms together and walked out the door.

Since the prom wasn't far, we decided to walk. I attribute this lack of transportation to the fact that we both still had a fear of cars.

And apparently, we weren't the only ones. Danny and I saw a few other couples walking to the prom.

It was a beautiful night. Almost too perfect for words, actually. The sky looked like velvet, a deep purple with a blue tint. A soft breeze wafted through the air, caressing all that it touched, and wrapping itself around me with a gentle hug.

I leaned my head against Danny's shoulder, and he looked down at me and smiled.

When we got to the rented ballroom, the first thing we saw was the multi colored lights blinding nearly everybody. People were already dancing, and the overall mood of everything was happy. Danny and I once again smiled at each other and walked in.

Although it was the prom, we split up and mingled with some of our other friends. After a few months of the beginning of Junior year, we'd managed to bring a couple of new people under our wings.

* * *

I was having myself a cup of punch when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I wheeled around and saw that it was Danny. 

"Hey, Danny. Having a fun time?" I asked casually. I desperately was trying to ignore the fact that yes; Danny _was_ indeed sexy under colored lights...

"Yeah. How bout you?" Danny took a glass of punch and leaned up against the wall next to me.

"Yep," I replied. We fell into silence, tension rising up between us.

"So, uh, Sam..." Danny began, a little awkwardly. Tension was so thick by that point that, as they say, you could cut it with a knife. "You, uh, want to dance?" he finished, blushing madly. Although we both knew we loved eachother, we couldn't help being our natural, pathetic love-bird selves.

_Did I just dream that? _"Uh, sure. Why not?" I responded, and set my punch down on a table while Danny did the same.

He took me by the hand and led me out to the dance floor. Of course, as luck (or is it fate?) would have it, a slow song began. _I feel like I'm in some sort of romance movie or something..._

So Danny and I danced. Soon we were relaxing and we swayed with the beat.

Danny pulled me closer and I immediately turned red. _I bet my face matches my dress. _But for some reason, I laid my head against his chest. I heard his heart begin to beat triple the amount a minute ago and smiled. He leaned his head on my shoulder.

And with that, I realized nothing could ruin this moment.

_ Nothing_...

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YAY! I got chapter one completed in a DAY! Although my hand is severely cramping from no breaks. Anyway, I hoped you guys liked this chapter. I know, I know. It was major Danny Sam fluff, but it's setting up the plot better than if I just began it without explanation. So, if you can, please review! I enjoy the feed back so much, that if I get a lot of reviews, it encourages me to update faster. Until next time! 

Lightning Streak


	3. Accidental Mistakes and Inner Conflicts

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom...

Wow! I'm so pleased with all this feed back! I seriously have an over stuffed inbox! I FEEL LOVED! Uh, hehe. Sorry...

Anyway, ON WITH THE STORY! And just to let ya'll who read this, the "horrors" that were suggested in the first chapter are still a little ways to go. But maybe in the next chapter.

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**Into Sudden Darkness**

**Chapter 2: Mistakes and Inner Conflicts**

**Danny's pov**

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Nothing could have ruined that moment. And I mean seriously:_ **Nothing.**_

In fact, it was almost too perfect. Just me and Sam.

_Sam._

She was beautiful that night. I'll even admit it whole-heartedly. And when she laid her head on me, I don't think my heart could have beat any faster.

If only we could have stayed that way forever... I wrapped my arms around her small frame, embracing her gently and stroking her hair.

I think that sometimes when I hold Sam, she'll just break because she feels so fragile. And while I know she's much, much stronger than that, I can't help but feel so..._protective_ of her.

"Danny?" Sam whispered.

"Hmm?" I asked, my eyes closed as I swayed with the music.

"...It's midnight," Sam stated in her usual blunt way.

And then it hit me.

My eyes shot open.

"Aww, _shit!_" I exclaimed, and I let go of Sam. I was supposed to have her home by now!

...Dammit.

_Great going, **genius.** You wait until the last possible minute to dance with Sam, and then you don't even have the time to dance! ...Wait, just** how** long were we dancing? Or does it even matter?! Her old man's gonna have it in for me when I bring her home!_

_I'm gonna die!_

Sam pulled away just as fast as I did, her eyes as wide as a dinner platter. "Danny! My dad's gonna _kill _us!"

_You're_ telling _me._ Sam might just get a lecture, but _I'd_ be the one with a gun in my face.

_Not good, not good..._

But then, recognition appeared in Sam's face, and she slapped her forehead. "Oh my God; Danny, we're so stupid!" She opened her purse and pulled out a cell phone, quickly dialing her phone number. "Hey Dad," I heard her say. "Danny and I are just fine. Look, we're going to be late, and we want some more time together. Do you think I could be back by three?"

My eyes widened at that. Why would we need _three _hours? But then again, this was _Sam._ The last time we stayed out until three o' clock, she conned me into going to some underground caves up north of here, and we got lost. Five times.

Nevertheless, it had been pretty fun. Especially when we ended up telling _ghost_ stories (out of all things) to keep our minds off the fact that we were lost.

_Good times, good times... _A smile came to my face just thinking about it.

But then, Sam's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Thanks Dad!" she said. "See ya." And with that, she shut her phone. "All taken care of," she proclaimed proudly.

...Well, _that_ took care of that... I tried to relax a bit and regain some sense of a normal heartbeat. After all, her family_ really_ didn't like me, and I didn't want my rights to see Sam taken away.

"So," I coughed and awkwardly thrust my hands in my pockets. "Now that we have time, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Sam replied, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Uh, want to go watch a movie or something?"

I took that into consideration. It didn't sound too bad, actually. "Why not? I have some movies back at home." Sam smiled.

"That sounds good. I mean, we _do_ have three hours to burn. What kind of movies do you got?" She asked mischievously.

"Well," I replied gallantly, linking my arm with hers, "we'll just have to see."

As we walked back to my house, I wishfully said aloud, "I wish I could fly us there." After all, Sam loved flying, and it was just an undescribable feeling to have her flying beside me.

Too bad the car wreck stole that from me.

Sam stood up on her toes and kissed my cheek. "Danny, it's okay. Tonight has been great, even if you can't fly me home." Tentatively, I smiled. _Sam always understands._

By the time we arrived at my house, everything was dark. I opened up the door and noticed a note on the back side.

_Danny, _

_Your father and I are going away on a ghost convention for a little while._

_Jazz should be back from college in the morning and there's roast in the refrigerator. _

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

I turned back to face Sam. "Looks like we're going to be alone tonight. Think you can handle that?" I joked with her.

And she joked back. "Hmm, I don't know..." she said with a smile, nudging me in the ribs. "I mean, you are pretty _irresistible_..." I blushed a bit, but gave her a wink.

"You know it!"

We walked in and turned on some lights, Sam and I immediately searching to finding a movie. _Finally_ finding one, (we ended up destroying the orderly fashion all the DVDs were organized in,) I popped it into the DVD player and sat down on the couch next to Sam. I then turned off the table light so that we could see the screen easier.

And as anyone could guess, it was one of those action adventure movies. Sam was the only girl I've known in my entire life that actually would watch something suspenseful over romantic.

But then, does that surprise anyone reading this? I mean, _really_?

About half way through the movie, I felt Sam lean up against my side. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her eyes were shut and her breathing was deeper.

She had fallen asleep.

I tilted my head so that Sam served me as a pillow. And it was such a comfortable position that I closed my eyes to bask in Sam's warmth.

I totally forgot about everything else, and soon fell asleep myself.

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_o.O.oOo.O.oOo.O.o_

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"**Danny!" **_

A distant scream suddenly echoed through my ears, jolting me awake.

"" 

Unfortunately, I knew exactly who it was: Jazz.

When I gained enough energy to lift my head and look at my sister, I noticed the light behind her, and my eyes instantly widened. _Crap!_ It was morning!I slowly turned my head towards the clock.

7 am, it read. And at that exact moment, my heart stopped. My eyes widened. The cow jumped over the moon. The fat lady sang.

I think you get it.

_**I was supposed to have Sam home four hours ago!** _

"Just what the heck were you _doing_?!" Jazz shouted, throwing down her bags (and obviously assuming things that I don't feel the need to explain.) Sam then woke up with a start, and unfortunately, her heart wasn't spared from panic either.

"Jazz!" she gasped, her eyes wide and dilated. "Oh my gosh! Danny!" She turned to me. "We must have accidentally fallen asleep!" She got up from that couch with almost supernatural speed.

"Would either of you please explain what is going on?" Jazz said wearily, resting her hands on her hips.

Sam spoke up first. "Danny and I were watching a movie last night. I guess we both fell asleep; And I _really_ need to get home!" She picked up her shawl and purse from the table.

"Want me to come with you?" I asked out of impulse, getting off the couch.

"No, it would be better if I explained." Her expression was frazzled, but she managed to give me one small smile. "I'm sure my folks will understand...right?" And with that, Sam practically flew out the door.

It was silent for a moment.

And then my sister had to ruin it.

"..._So_," Jazz said suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "I see my little brother has been enjoying himself!"

I wasn't amused. "..."

But amazingly, she got the picture and backed off with a little smile on her face. "Okay, okay!" she surrendered teasingly. "I know it was an accident."

I glared at my sister. Sometimes, she's fun, sometimes she's a good stress reliever, but this time she was being annoying. "I'm going upstairs." And I left her to go take a shower.

* * *

Just as I was dressed, the phone rang. I threw my towel in the hamper and picked up the phone. 

"Hey Danny!" I instantly recognized Tucker's voice.

"Hey Tuck! How are you?" I returned happily.

"Doin' good," he replied casually. "I just heard from Sam and got the low down about last night..." Unfortunately, I could just _hear _Tucker's pervert within surface in his voice. "I see you guys had some fun!"

"Ugh!" I rolled my eyes angrily. "You're as bad as Jazz! It was an accident! We never _meant_ to fall asleep!"

"Yeah, sure. But if you ask me, you spend _way_ too much time with Sam." He had one of those tones that reminded me of the Devil's Advocate.

"And so what if I do?" I demanded defensively. "I _love_ Sam."

"Hey, man no offense," he backed off. "All I'm saying is that you need to get more of a life Danny," he pointed out smoothly. "You never do anything anymore; And I never hear much from you! Why don't you go bet on drag races or something?"

And for a second, his comment stopped me in my tracks.

His last remark made think. _Oh no, there is **no way** I'm going **near** another drag strip, car show, or racecar. No way. Not after last time. _

The only problem was I had actually been _missing_ the "fast and furious" life. My car was now completely repaired, and it wasn't like I couldn't walk or anything, so why not?

Tucker had, unintentionally, found my Achille's heel.

"I don't know about that, Tuck," I said with a sigh. "You_ know_ as well as I do that Sam, Jazz and nearly everyone else would flip if I drag raced or even _went_ to go racing."

"Danny," Tucker pointed out bluntly, "do you seriously think that they'll find out? I mean, come on! They'd never expect it, or anything..."

_Well, if you put it **that **way... "_ I still don't know Tucker. You are the only person who knows about this. And what would they think if I just suddenly started going off to places not to return till dark? I mean, even _my_ parents can get suspicious after a while."

"Which is why you could keep it a secret. Say you're going to get coffee or something and then rush back home after you raced? And if you won anything, you could have them mail it to my house."

You know, for some odd reason or another, I've noticed something over the years that Tucker has been my friend. I guess you could say he's always been a bad influence as far as materialism goes...

"I'll think about it," I said uncertainly.

"Let's face it; you miss it _too _don't you?," Tucker asked excitedly. I could just see his own love for cars (technology) humming in his voice.

"I said I'll think about it. Anyway, I need to get off." What I really wanted to do was ask Tucker where some races were. How could I go if I didn't even know they're there?

"Bye man."

"Bye."

The good side to drag racing: I could get trophies and could quench my thirst for fastness. The bad side: I could lose my family's trust.

And Sam would absolutely_ hate_ me.

But like the forbidden fruit, racing was an ultimate temptation. I still couldn't fly, but I had the opportunity to drive just as fast.

I glanced out my bedroom window and saw my Camaro 360, resting innocently in the family driveway.

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YAY! This is my longest chapter yet! Well, I hope you all liked it. I wanted to add some more, but after writing two chapters in one day, my hand is about to fall off. So, to end this chapter, I'd like to thank all my reviewers. You guys ROCK! 


	4. A Woman's Scorn

Disclaimer: My brain didn't make Danny Phantom...enough said...

Wow! Who knew that this fan fiction would be such a hit! I feel so supported! Thank you guys so much! So, once again, it's time to enter into Danny and Sam's fictional lives! YAY! Uh, hehe. I'm in a happy mood today, as you can see:P

LET US SALLY FORTH INTO YONDER FANFICTION! (that's my favorite old English saying.. Except the fan fiction part. That wasn't there..) :D

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**Chapter 4: A Woman's Scorn**

**Sam's pov**

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The first thing I heard when I had stepped through the threshold of my house was, "Samantha Manson! _Where_ have you been?!" Both my parents, frazzled in their silk and velvet robes, impatiently tapped their feet on the cold marbled floor. 

And thus began our "conversation."

I tried to sound pathetic, and I put on my puppy dog eyes. "I am soo sorry. After the prom, Danny and I went back to his house to watch a movie. I accidentally fell asleep on the couch. And I guess Danny fell asleep too, 'cause next thing we both knew Jazz was waking us up. I'm sorry." I had a feeling that explanation wasn't good enough.

"SAM! Do you realize you kept us up the _whole_ entire night wondering where you were? For all we knew, you could have been kidnapped! Or maybe even something worse!" My mom ranted. "And don't use contractions when you speak! You sound so...unrefined!" _Great. Just what I need. Mom yelling in my face..._

"I said I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep!" I practically yelled at them. _And you can just **shove it** about the way I talk..._Well, sure enough, everything went to total and complete silence. It was so quiet, it was deafening.

"Samantha," My father said grimly. "You have given me no chose but to ground you."

My eyes widened, and I sputtered, "What?! You can't do that! It wasn't even my fault!" I felt like ripping my hair out at that moment.

"We can, and we _will _do what we want," my mom said, her voice dangerously low. "Now go to your room for the rest of the morning until I can think of a proper punishment." Seeing that I was piling on to my punishment list, I wiped my face from any kind of emotion and walked up the stairs to my room. "And walk with good posture!"

I straightened my spine, grumbled obscenities under my breath.

Lucky for me, my CD player was the perfect way to pass the time. A little computer, and before I knew it, a whole hour had past.

However, what my parents had said was beginning to nag at me. Actually, _everything_ my parents said and did was beginning to nag at me. The way they talked down to me, the way they snidely chided me about how I didn't fit in...

...The way they never said that they loved me.

As a matter of fact, my parents only harped on my faults and flaws.

My hands tightened around the sheets of my purple comforter.

I gave an unlady-like snort._ They'd probably be better off without me._

But I instantly regreted those words_. Hello! Of **course **they care! That's why you're in trouble, remember?_ the sensible side of me voiced. It dampened my fears for a little while, and I returned listening to my music.

But some sense, some strange part of me kept smoldering in the back of my mind.

_Do they really care? Or was that just an excuse to yell at me? _By then, the treacherous side of me was winning me over completely. And then suddenly, an idea that could end my parents' nagging popped into my head:

Running away.

Running away had always made parents see how messed up their child's life was. So, if it worked then, it would probably work now...right?

_Right._

Getting a small purse, I stuffed all my money and my CD player into it. When it came to a point where it couldn't hold anything more, I put the purse on over my shoulder.

During the first years of ghost fighting with Danny and Tucker, I had to find an escape from home without worrying anyone. Now, I was glad I had thought ahead of time.

I looked into my closet for the extension ladder. Pushing back a couple pairs of pants, I found it. I opened the window and pressed the button on the ladder. Immediately, the ladder unfolded and I could climb down.

Before, I hadn't realized that it was so windy outside. Now, I was feeling the full effects. _Just how fast is this wind going? _

Still, I somehow found my footing and began walking away. Actually, running. It wouldn't do for me to be caught just yet.

I just wanted to get away.

* * *

Unfortunately for me, I didn't think things out. 

I had absolutely no clue as to where I was. I knew that I was out of Amity Park's limits, but nothing more. The best I could hope for was a sign. Literally.

After a couple minutes of more walking, (I didn't have to run now that I was in the clear), I finally came upon one. CLAIRMONT, 2 MILES, the sign said.

Something about Clairmont seemed familiar, but I just couldn't place it. Thinking that there would be food and other stuff there, I began my small trek to Clairmont.

* * *

I checked my watch and saw that it was almost ten AM. _The sign said two miles, but how can** that** be true?_

Suddenly, I heard the sound of racecars from over the fence I was walking by and then it hit me. Within Clairmont, there was a drag strip, the very drag strip that almost cost Danny's life. My eyes widened as I picked up my pace. This spot held unwanted memories.

However, I couldn't help being a little curious as to what the cars were. I guess, in that respect, Danny had kinda rubbed off on me. I walked closer to the fence and stood on my tip toes. Over the fence, I saw a small band of cars, numbering about ten to fifteen people. Apparently, this was just a practice day.

I saw that no one was around. I remembered the food stand and guessed that they were probably there. I turned my attention back to the cars. Out of ten, I saw a Corvette Sting Ray , a Chevelle, a GTO, a Charger, a Nova, a Monte Carlo, a Thunderbird, a Camaro, and some other cars I didn't recognize.

But I suddenly stopped in my tracks. My mind froze.

_Hold on, that Camaro looks really familiar! _My heart quickened as my fear was confirmed when I reverted my gazed back to the car. It was Danny's car. His 1967 Camaro 360.

And that could only mean one thing.

Replacing fear was anger as I looked for a break in the fence I could squeeze through. _That Danny, I'm going to **kill him!** He just doesn't know when to stop, does he?! _Finding a nice size area where the wood fence rotted away, I ran through it and straight to where I thought the drag racers were.

When I reached the food stand, I practically threw open the door. All traces of conversation were gone. All eyes were turned to me. However, one pair of those eyes I knew.

"DANIEL FENTON! YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE _HECK_ ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I yelled at him. Absolute dead silence settled around everything, around everyone.

Danny glanced nervously at his buddies.

"Sam, it's not what you think. I didn't race!" He pleaded. I wanted so much to believe him, but I couldn't.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" I shouted. The other guys just stared at me. Probably because they thought I was a madwoman. "I thought you said you would never race again," I continued, my voice dangerously low. "You lied to me. You _lied." _By then, my hands were shaking because of my anger. I saw Danny wince.

"Please Sam, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" I could easily tell he was almost at lost for words. He tried to lay his hand on my shoulder, but I jerked away as if he was on fire.

"I can't believe you, Danny. I trusted you. _Trusted_ you. And then you go behind my back and take advantage of that!" I felt my eyes begin to water._ Do you **want** to die, Danny?_

"No, I didn't!" His voice filled with feeling. "You have to believe me!" He looked liked he was holding on to a table for dear life. " Sam, you know I wouldn't ever do something to hurt you."

"I..." I stuttered a bit for something to say, but then something blurted out of my lips. "...I hate you, Danny!" Instantly, I clapped a hand over my mouth. I was shocked at my own words. I sounded so..._harsh._ Danny's eyes widened, and his face was contorted with confusion and sadness. I could tell that even if I'd punched him, I wouldn't have hurt him as much as I did. And I pack a hard punch.

"Sam, please say you didn't mean that," Danny whispered shakingly. His eyes, pools of the deepest ice blue, melted into pain. Suddenly, I had to agree with him. I was starting to get the feeling I went too far.

I gave Danny one last pitiful look before I turned around and ran away with my tears falling freely to the ground.

"Wait! _Sam!_" I heard Danny call from somewhere behind me. But I didn't stop. I ran and ran until I slipped through the rotted planks. I slumped down on the ground and cried.

And I _never_ cry.

I had never felt so used in my life.

Who was he to just_ invite_ Death to take him away? Didn't he promise he'd never race again? That he'd never scare me like that ever again?

_God, doesn't Danny understand **anything**? _The memories of that day when he had crashed tore into my mind, into my heart. The fire, the metal; his blood...

I bit my lip to choke back a sob.

I wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt and saw that my mascara was running. I probably looked like death itself at that moment, but I couldn't have cared less.

Who was there to care anyway? My parents sure didn't care about me. And Danny?

Danny loved that damn car more than he loved me.

After I had wept to my content, I pulled myself together and brokenly walked on past the building. The wind whipped around me, taunting me and laughing at my pain. I pulled my arms closer to my body, trying to stay warm. The world suddenly felt so cold.

_...Does anyone still care about me? _

And no matter how much I tried to hide it, one thing kept pounding itself into my skull.

I had no one to trust anymore...

* * *

Whew! This was a hard chapter to write. I hope I didn't overdo it. So, what do you guys think? Please review and I'll try to update faster! 

Lightning Streak


	5. Hopeless Against the Elements

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

YAY! More reviews! You guys rock! Umm, I have nothing really to say, except maybe that I'd love to give you guys millions of dollars each, but I, alas, don't have that type of life style...

So, now for the last thing I want to talk about. The last chapter I did has been modified. I reread it and have to agree with the ones that pointed it out. It _was_ a little overdone. So, I changed it. Feel free to check it over sometime!

Oh, and to tell you guys before hand, the very first part of this chapter is third person. I know, weird. But I HAD to put that in. However, the rest is in Danny's pov.

And NOW, what you've all been waiting for:

* * *

**Chapter 4: Hopeless Against the Elements**

**Danny's pov**

* * *

**SOMEWHERE IN A WEATHER STATION**

* * *

The lady's eyes widened as she took in the information before her. The station's most reliable computer was going haywire, receiving possibly the most abnormal, yet terrifying pieces of data. 

Tearing her eyes away from the screen, she ran down the long line of computers until she came upon a certain computer occupied by a middle aged but handsome man.

"Will! Come look at this!" She instantly grabbed his attention and they ran back to the first computer. As his eyes scanned the screen, the lady asked nervously, "How can that be possible? Even Hurricane _Camille_ was never able to retain so much power even as long as this one has!"

Will's grey eyes scanned the statistics, and his jaw fell in shock. "You're right..." According to the paper, all the excessive amounts of rain had created large ranges of low air pressures, charging the perfect habitat for a hurricane. "I think that has something to do with it," Will said with speculative calculation, pointing out the fact. "The bigger the low pressure range, the bigger and more mature the hurricane can become." He stopped talking and glanced at the lady with a worried expression. "Kate, how are we going to break this?" he asked softly.

Kate wrung her hands and replied nervously, "We have to tell them. You know that. But it's too late for the people to prepare. It's way to dangerous for anyone to be within the hundred miles of the low pressure zone. The only thing, the _best_ thing to do, would be to get the government's permission to evacuate the threatened areas."

"Good idea," Will said calmly, but he couldn't hide the undertoned fear in his voice.

No one knew what exactly a type of hurricane this sinister could unleash...

* * *

**BACK TO DANNY**

* * *

"Sam! Please, give me a chance!" I cried out to her, running from the food stand to the outside. It took me only a few seconds to feel the force of the wind pushing me back. Not to mention the silver sheets of rain practically blinding me. 

_"Sam!" _I shouted desperately, trying to project my voice over the wind. I knew I wouldn't get an answer, but I shouted out again, "You know what? Be that way! See if I care!" _You know you do, _the sensible side of me said. _You care about her, no matter. And she does have a right to mad at you. Idiot, _it taunted me. I growled in frustration and went back inside the food stand.

As I sat back down, the other guys just stared at me, wide eyed. "What are you looking at?" I demanded.

One of my drag race buddies, Drake, answered for everybody. "Ever heard of the saying, "Even Hell's fires ain't equal to a woman's scorn?""

_Well, I have to say, I totally agree..._ "No, but I think I just experienced it," I sighed angrily, running a hand through my hair. "Look, I need to go. I really need to get home and sort some things out." I grabbed my black jacket out from the pile in the corner and headed for the door.

Now that I had my jacket, I was ready to face the elements. Although, last time I strayed from the food stand, I ended up soaked to the bone. So it wasn't like my jacket could do anything for me now. Nevertheless, I slipped it over my muscle shirt and stepped outside.

As the wind whipped around me, I ran as fast as I could to the safety of my car. I jumped in and turned on the ignition. Before, when my Camaro was getting repaired, I personally requested that they replaced the stick shift to an automatic. So, now, I wasn't really afraid of my car. Just so long as it didn't blow up on me again. Which also, now, was virtually impossible.

I revved up the engine and felt the power of the machine that snarled back at me. Even now, I couldn't help appreciate a car well built. I bet anybody I knew would be disgusted with me.

A small part of_ myself_ was actually disgusted.

The roads, if you could call them that, were flooded because of the river. And that instantly got the bottom of my car dirty and muddy. _I hate rivers. _It wasn't long before I began dreaming of a true road, I was that desperate to get out of there. Actually, I had forgotten what a road was. All I had seen for the last five miles was ... mud... and water.

_I'm definitely not going to be thirsty for a while, _I thought as my car sloshed its way through the swirling brown waters. However, luck was on my side once again as a hill came up, saving me and my car from further torment.

When I got up the hill, I saw that the roads weren't as flooded there.

Suddenly, I thought of something. _What happened to Sam? Is she okay? Did she make it home safely? Did she even have a car, cause I didn't seen her get in a car and drive away! _

" Nah," I said out loud to no one in particular. "I'm sure she just parked somewhere I couldn't see. I mean, it was raining really hard. Not that it isn't now." However, I wasn't completely convinced. But I just figured going back would _really_ make her hate me.

I finally came into view of my house. Parking by the side, I rushed in. When I opened the door, a bolt of lightning flashed. _I wonder if that was a bad sign, or something. _I suddenly remembered all those horror films Sam and I had watched together, and my imagination ran away with me. _Lightning always flashes before something bad happens..._

I tossed my jacket onto the coffee table and headed down for the basement. It had rained a lot, so it would probably be best if I checked the house for flooding.

I carelessly ran downstairs and noticed that everything was dry. I walked over to the corner and turned on the sumps, though, just in case.

I was about to leave, when a prickling sensation helped me to realize that if it did flood, at least the Ghost Zone would be lost forever. _Actually, that's a really good idea! _I thought. _So, now that I have a plan to destroy the portal, well, how am I going to get all that water down here?_

I ran back upstairs, hoping that the Ghost Zone wouldn't open. Once again, Lady Luck was on my side.

I was just about to watch some TV, when I decided to call Jazz. She would have some advice about Sam. And let's face it, I needed all that I could get.

752-8893, I dialed. It rang, and rang, and _rang. _Finally, I heard someone on the other line say, "Hello?"

"Jazz! Finally! I thought I would be dead by the time you picked up."

"Danny. That wasn't nice!"

"You're not very nice."

"Gee thanks. I'm _so_ glad you have total confidence in me."

"You're oh so welcome."

I could almost see Jazz, just waiting to blow up. "Danny!" She sighed in exasperation. " So, what was it you called me for? Do you miss me already?"

"No, not really."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's the truth."

"Okay, okay. You win."

"I always do."

"Don't rub it in."

"Anyways, I wanted to call you about Sam."

"What about her? What did you do this time?"

"Well, let's just say she thinks that I "betrayed her trust." Or something like that."

"You really are dense aren't you? Normally, when a girl delivers that line to a guy, it means you messed up royally."

"So how do I get her back? She was pretty serious."

"Well, did you try giving her an expensive array of chocolates and a dozen roses yet?"

"No. Why should I?"

"Well, chocolate is the universal sign for forgiveness whenever you give it to your loved one. It makes _me_ feel better anyway."

I sighed. "Anything else?"

"Well, have you tried the whole we-all-make-mistakes-I'm-sorry-speech?"

"Yes. But she wouldn't listen."

"Did you even pay attention to her?"

"Yeah, but that didn't work either."

"OH, so now you're saying you stopped paying attention?"

"Hey!"

"Score for me," Jazz said, laughing lightly.

"So? I'm still winning."

"Look, I'd love to keep engaging our battle of wits, but I have a term paper to do. Call me back if you need anything more." I then heard a click followed by a dial tone. I set the receiver back down to charge.

I resolved to turning on the TV afterward. I saw that there was a James Bond movie was on. For some reason, I considered those movies a great way to pass the time. They weren't _that_ bad. But this time, I turned straight to the weather channel.

Normally, I don't watch the weather station. However, it took me only one glance outside the window to change my mind.

When I got to the channel, I noticed that there was a huge hurricane hitting the Atlantic Coast. Apparently, that was all they cared about. But that did explain where all the wind and rain was coming from.

Interested, somewhat, I read the little details at the bottom of the screen. Lucky for me, I had nothing to worry about. Even though there was a hundred mile danger zone, Amity Park wasn't in it. However, the fact that we were only forty miles away sort of killed some of my confidence.

I switched off the TV and laid down on the soft, squishy couch. I loved that couch. In fact, I was so comfortable, I felt like taking a quick cat nap.

As I fell asleep, the last thing I had on my mind was Sam.

* * *

**WEATHER STATION, SOUTH CAROLINA**

* * *

Kate watched fearfully as she looked outside through her window. The bushes and small trees surrounding the station were being ripped out of the ground by the intensifying winds. Every once in a while, the lights would flicker, leaving Kate scared to death. 

_Those idiots who were supposed to be analyzing the ocean current patterns were too busy enjoying themselves to realize a hurricane of destruction was coming. Gee. Maybe that's why I never trusted guys to do the job. _

Kate's brows furrowed. _And so, now I'm stuck here. But, that does have some advantages. This foundation is fairly strong. And I'll have top of the line updates. But seriously, the winds, once only ninety-six miles per hour, are in the hundreds. How much more strain can this block of cement they call a weather station take? _

Kate's mind reverted back to the ocean pattern guys. _Then again, this hurricane did sort of pop out of nowhere. Which is why this hurricane is so... unbelievable..._

Lost in her thoughts, Kate failed to realize the data that was popping up on her computer. Luckily, she just happened to look that way. Immediately tense, she read the information.

At first, the information started out well. The hurricane was weakening in some places, and the guys were able to get some more accurate data about wind speeds.

Of course, then came the bad news. Unsuspecting, Kate read on. Apparently, the guys were able to fly into the eye of the storm. _That's not so bad. _But her eyes widened as she read the next paragraphs.

**_Flight 450 unfortunately crashed, seemingly hitting a very powerful gust of wind. Three lives were lost due to this. Low pressure zones connecting/combining to form larger storms areas. Evacuate all within one-hundred fifty mile range as a precaution..._**

_**Hurricane highly unpredictable. Winds varying from within the hurricane. Average rain fall per minute: three inches per square inch. Flooding rate: twenty inches per hour. Set flood warning. Average wind speed: 160 miles per hour. Estimated time of arrival at land: 1:00 A.M. **_

_**Eye of storm: ten miles across and shrinking. Diameter of hurricane: 60 miles across and growing. **_

"OH MY-" But Kate didn't have enough time to say what she wanted. She rushed into the other computer rooms, relaying back the message.

As the other meteorologists heard the news, one thing was on their mind: If they didn't make it out of there soon, who was to say they'd survive?

* * *

Man! This was soo hard. I tried to be realistic, I really tried. So, please tell me if I wasn't so I can go back and correct it. Anyway, so, what DID you guys think? I really could use some advice! SO, if it isn't too much trouble for you, there's a button that says go at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. Push it and see what happens:D 

Also, I hope you guys like the weather station effect. It's really weird going between first person and third person in the same chapter, but oh well. Just as long as you guys like it, I'll be fine.

Oh, and for those who aren't familiar with hurricanes, whenever the eye of the storm shrinks, it's a bad sign, a very bad sign. It means the hurricane is getting stronger. So, what will I have up my sleeve for our ill-fated heroes? (heroine too!) Stay tuned for my next chapter!

_Lightning Streak _


	6. Lost In the Storm

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Danny Phantom... o.O

HELLO! Thanks for all the reviews I'm getting! It makes me feel loved in the fan fiction world of...fan fictions...ANYWAY, I hope that I don't let any of you down!

Now, for those who wonder: The more times I read over this story, the more I saw how confusing some parts are. SO, if you have any questions about it, put it in your review and I'll answer them in the next chapter! -

And now, for the magical moment you've all been waiting for:

* * *

**Chapter 5: Lost in the Storm**

**Sam's pov**

**Chapter will alternate between Sam and weather station**

* * *

If I thought that I had been lost before, well, I had another thing coming...I could have crossed into a different _dimension_ for all I knew. 

The wind ripped through me with extremely powerful force, making me stumble and nearly fall to the ground. It was seriously almost too much.

_What did I get myself into?_

Wind had never been that bad for as long as I had lived. In fact, Amity Park hardly ever got winds above thirty miles an hour. Of course, this, I had guessed, was much, _much_ more than thirty mph.

Suddenly, the wind died down. I quickly got up and started running farther down the road. I had to find a town, home, _anything _that would get me away from the elements. Even the rain was starting to build up, limiting how far I could stray from the road.

_Anything, Lord. Anything! _I prayed. Even though I was relatively calm on the outside, inside was a whole different story. However, I was physically failing more than I was mentally.

My teeth were chattering from the cold droplets of rain and my skin was almost blue. Cold sweat beaded my head, and I felt like curling up in a ball and dying. Okay, maybe not _that. _But I was feeling more than just sick. I also hadn't eaten forever, making my stomach growl for food.

_Look, thinking about it isn't going to get you anywhere. Just focus on something else. Maybe thinking about something warm would do the trick. _

I tried thinking of hot chocolate. Its swirling creamy goodness of Belgium chocolate. Its smell that warmed the soul. The feeling of the cup's heat sinking into your skin.

Nothing. My stomach growled again, but rather than that, I accomplished nothing. _Actually, I thinking about it just made me colder..._

I tried thinking of a hot tub. The tingling sensation your skin got when it connected with the hot water. The surrounding bubbles floating every which way. The jets around the rim of the hot tub massaging sore muscles.

For a split second, I could almost feel the hot water. But as quickly as that second came, the faster it went away...leaving me still cold.

_This isn't working. _I thought to myself. Then sarcastically, I began to think again.

_Of course, Sam. You just HAD to runaway when you could have stayed home. You just HAD to wear a close to nothing jacket. And THEN, you just HAD to get into that fight with Danny. Danny..._My cheeks flushed, bringing a fleshy color back into my face.

Most of the things I had said before weren't true. It was just heat of the moment. Although I was pretty ticked he would try something like that again. But then again, he was a guy, and guys liked dangerous things.

_And I DO have a right to be mad at him. _But at that moment, all I wanted to see was him. I missed him already, and I began to mentally practice an apology. Let's face it: it's hard to hate a hero.

Oblivious to everything, I had failed to realize I had come across a wooded area on high ground. High ground means less flooding and trees meant some protection. Although the trees themselves could be danger, the prospect of a leaf canopy sounded better than the rain.

I veered off the road to the right, trudging up the hill. After a few minutes of walking, the trees became more dense, blocking out most of the rain and further saving me from treacherous winds. _I officially hate wind. I'll probably think for the rest of my life that I'll be thrown around by the wind every time I feel it. _The thought was sort of funny, so I laughed. I began laughing hard not long afterward.

_Hold it Manson. You're getting hysterical, _my sensible side said to me. _And this is DEFINETLY not the time to do that. _

_True. Wait a minute. I'm talking to myself. Have I become that desperate? _

_Probably._

_Shut up! _I told my sensible side.

_Make me. You know, if you weren't so bent on having things your way, you probably could have avoided this situation completely. _

_I give up. I just give up. _It was no use talking back to my sensible side. It was always right in the end...

I leaned up against a wet tree. My clothes were barely recognizable now, having gone through mud, rain, flooded rivers, and thorns. Actually, I figured that anybody who knew me couldn't have guessed who I was now. So, leaning up against some wet tree probably wouldn't hurt anything.

I ran a hand through my hair. It was tangled beyond belief, greasy, and had leaves, twigs, you name it, within it. For some reason though, I couldn't have cared less. My appearance was the least of my worries. Although I _was_ trying to be careful about getting mascara in my eyes.

Suddenly, I noticed a worn path just to the right of me. Curious, I walked upon it, wondering where it led to. The rain poured harder, for I began feeling twice the amount I had only a few seconds ago.

So down the winding path I went. I was about to think that it was a joke when I saw a small cabin a little off the side of the path. My eyes widened and I ran to it, hopeful that I could use it for shelter.

The outside of the cabin looked just like any other, except maybe this one had more leaves on the roof and more mold growing on the sides. I tried opening the door, but found it was locked.

Becoming desperate, I kicked the door. Hard. Surprisingly, it opened. But what I saw inside was what I had least expected.

With the guidance of a small lamp's light, I easily saw a bunk bed, a wooden table, and some sort of machine thing. However, it was all the green pieces of paper stacked everywhere nearly to the ceiling that got me.

_What are these? _I stooped down to pick one up and study it. _Wait, this isn't just green paper, it's... _"Money," I said out loud. But there was so much of it. How did it get here? And _why_ was it here?

I lifted up one of the twenty dollar bills to the light. Something about it didn't seem right. _How could a piece of money not look right? Oh my gosh..._It was counterfeit!

My brain went into overdrive. _Wait, the machine/ a counterfeit maker?/ So much money it could create more than a problem. AND, if there's a light in here, that must mean..._

I just came across a counterfeiter's hideout! A bolt of lightning landed not far from the cabin.

"Oh my gosh," I whispered shakily. Who's to say the criminal wouldn't come back right now? And _I'd_ be caught!

I turned around and ran out the door, not caring if it was left open. I just wanted to get out of there and to a police.

I had gone only but a few yards when my body connected with something hard. And it was breathing. I slowly looked up and found myself staring into a face I didn't recognize.

"Well," the man drawled out. "What are you doing in my property?" He turned apparently to his partner. "Hey, Jake! Look at who came to pay us a visit!" He pushed me into the mud, making me land flat on my rear end. But I quickly stood up.

_"Hey!" _I shouted, but a large hand clamped itself over my mouth.

"Listen," the guys said. "I know you've been in the cabin, I can't let you run loose." At that moment, I could have sworn by heart stopped. "And if you scream, _well_," he chuckled as he pulled something shiny out belt. The wind had died down just enough at the time, making it so that I could see clearer.

It was a gun.

* * *

**WEATHER STATION, SOUTH CAROLINA**

* * *

Kate nervously sipped another cup of coffee as she looked out the window. The winds were about the same, still in the lower hundreds, but the rain was incessant. 

The station was still holding its ground, amazingly. But how much longer could it last? Kate saw a piece of shingle fly off the roof.

Suddenly, she felt something tapped her shoulder, which made her jump nearly to the ceiling.

"Relax, Kate," the voice said. It was another of her fellow workers, Eve. "Look, I'm just going to say: We don't know how much longer this building will hold together. We need to get out of here!" Eve cried. "The basement has already begun to flood. And the worst of the storm is yet to come! So, get your butt up and let's _go_!"

Kate jumped out of her seat and rushed to get her coat. _I'm not sticking around to be drowned! _She thought. Finding her black coat and hat, and was about to rush out the door when another voice interrupted her thoughts. "Wait! Don't go!" it said desperately.

Will rushed up to her. "You can't go! The winds are starting to pick up speed. The hurricane can unleash twice that amount easily! You'll be blown all the way to freakin' _China_ if you go out there!"

Kate sighed, but her eyes darted every which way. How much time did she have left? "Aren't you over reacting? In plus, I'd rather be blown to China than be drowned. Wouldn't you?"

"Kate," Will said quietly, "I just don't want to see you go. I'm serious! The winds are beginning to pick up, and we aren't even actually _in_ the hurricane yet!" Kate saw desperation in his normally emotionless stone eyes. _Maybe he's right..._

"You know what? Fine." She threw her coat on the floor. "I'll stay here," she replied with false determination, "but if I die, it will be _your_ fault."

Kate and Will heard Eve shout out from the outside, "Are you coming?!?"

Kate yelled out over the wind and rain, "I guess not. I'm staying here!"

"BUT YOU CAN'T!"

"I _CAN!"_

Everyone who knew Kate personally knew that it was no use arguing with her. "Fine, then call me every hour!" Eve shouted. She got into her Cadillac with some other workers and pulled away. The two left behind watched silently as the car faded into the rain.

And for a second, it was a tense silence.

"Kate, I don't know what is going to happen," Will said.

"Me either," Kate agreed. The building groaned under the strain, scaring Kate once again. Her hand clung to Will's arm with such force, his circulation was cut off.

"Look, don't worry," Will said comfortingly, putting his arms around her. "We'll get through this somehow."

_But how?

* * *

_Another chapter completed! YAY! SO, did you guys like it? At the last minute, I added in the part where Sam comes across a cabin, believe it or not. So I hope it turned out okay.

Anyway, I think you guys know the drill: REVIEW PLEASE!

Lightning Streak


	7. The Hurricane Hits

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

Greetings, earthlings! I'm back once again to say: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! sniffles. I feel accomplished. Anyway, I've been prowling around and I've noticed something: There is soo many fan fictions, but yet, we can always think of something else. Isn't it cool the way the mind works? Okay, uh, sorry… hehe. But I find it cool.

And now that I've gotten that out, I think I should get this chapter started. How about you?

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Hurricane Hits!**

**Danny's pov**

**Chapter will alternate between weather station**

* * *

I awoke with a start.

Another bolt of lightning flashed in front of the windows, the wind whispered eerie sounds, and hail was unmercifully pounding against anything glass. _Wow, this place really looks inviting, doesn't it? _

Please note the sarcasm in that statement.

The truth was, it really didn't look inviting at all. The house was completely dark except for a lamp to the side of the couch, and the lightning only made it look like a haunted house.

And, rather ironically, I never liked haunted houses.

Trying to drown out the noise, I turned on the TV. I tried to turn it to the sports channel, but it only came up as a black and white screen. _Hmm. The power lines must have been knocked out…_

_So, _I instead turned it to the weather station. Anything to drown out the never ending pound of hail. They were talking about some plane crash that killed three people when I started to fall asleep. Truthfully, I probably should have cared more, but at the moment, that was the least of my worries.

However, when something about hurricanes came up, I was quickly snapped back into reality.

"Unfortunately, the hurricane's forces have become more powerful," the lady was saying.

"We just got information from South Carolina clearly stating to extend the one hundred mile range to one hundred fifty miles. From-" I quit listening as the remote dropped from my hands. I was going to be caught into the hurricane, **_ALONE…_**

When I came out of my stupor, I ran downstairs, turned on the generator sump, and ran back up. I then searched for my jacket, any type of compatible food, and the emergency cell phone. I laid all of that down by the couch and I sat down.

I had never been in a hurricane before. What were they like? How do people survive them? Where do people go?

That last one I really didn't have to worry about. The house was made of brick and concrete. But what about all the other questions? And really, was I going be flooded out of my house?

I was ripped from my thoughts and scared out of my mind when the telephone rang. With almost supernatural speed, I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Finally!" Mrs. Manson practically screamed over the phone, nearly making me lose my hearing. I pulled the phone away from my ear, in hopes of retaining some sort of hearing. "Thank goodness we got a hold of you!"

"Uh, hi Mrs. Manson," I began uncertainly. "What did you call for?" _Man, I have never seen her this, well, hysterical. _

"Is Sam over there with you?" she asked worriedly.

I was confused. "No, why?"

Mrs. Manson let out some sort of cry. "Danny! I don't know where Sam is! I was hoping she only ran to your house, but I was wrong. She ran away!" she sobbed.

My heart stopped. "What do you mean? Are you sure?" I asked, my voice just slightly wavering.

"The butlers searched every room in the house! And she wasn't anywhere. _Anywhere_."

"Are you absolutely positive she wasn't anywhere?" Growing up, Sam, Tucker, and I always hid in our attics with walkie talkies, playing secret agents. Even now, she'd go up there to think.

"We even had them check the basement and the attic," Mrs. Manson explained between sobs. But then she sniffed. "But I doubt she would hide in the attic. It's so dusty and full of junk."

"What made her runaway?" _It was probably me…_

Mrs. Manson's voice tone was guilty. "I yelled at her the last time I saw her. But I was just being a parent! And now," she sniffled, " Sam's probably out in the wilderness with nothing to protect her from the hurricane! I don't even know if she's still alive!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. But at least I wasn't as bad as Sam's mom. Actually, she was in a whole other_ league._

"Look, do want me to drive around and see if I find her?" _Oh? So now I'm volunteering to go outside head on with a hurricane? _

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I mean, all of the staff is somewhere out there, looking for her!"

_Are you crazy, lady? Putting even more people in danger? _"I'll go. I need to talk to her anyway." _I have no idea what I just got myself into…_

"I'm not making you, you know."

"I know."

Mrs. Manson sighed. "Well, then...Go on ahead. But I want to promise me you'll call if you find Sam?"

"Yeah, sure." _Gee thanks for your concern about my own safety. _I hung up the phone.

I reluctantly picked up my jacket and took the keys to my car.

When I opened up the front door, wind slammed itself into me. I probably scooted back a few feet because of it. But somehow I managed to go outside and shut the door.

If I thought that the incessant hail pounding on the walls was bad, I should have tried having it being pounded into my head before. And I was up to my ankles in water.

I finally found my car after a few minutes of stumbling against the elements. I climbed in and turned my ignition on, revving the engine.

_So, where am I going? Oh yes…to the last place I saw her… _I quickly got on the road to the drag strip and carefully avoided the flooded rivers. But that proved to be impossible. My car, normally sleek and shiny, was officially muddy and grimy.

50 miles an hour.

When I arrived, I didn't drive in. Instead, I drove along the road. However, something was apparent to me: The water was getting higher…

So, as I was driving, I began to think. Of course, since I was looking for her, I would have Sam on my mind. But I also was worried about the weather.

57 miles an hour

What if I didn't find Sam? Would the weather kill her? Then, probably the most sickening thought bombarded my brain:

We'd been having so much rain. Much more than ever. _What if the dam that holds back the river breaks? _

_And what if Sam's caught in it?!_

I pushed on the gas pedal a little more.

71 miles an hour.

* * *

**WEATHER STATION, SOUTH CAROLINA**

* * *

Will stared at Kate, who was staring out the window. This had been going on for about five minutes, and Will was beginning to wonder if Kate noticed. 

Finally, she did. "What?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. _Will's been acting weird lately... I wonder why? _

"Nothing," he replied smoothly. _Okay, _Kate pondered. _Maybe he still has **some** of his regular attitude in him…_

"So..." Will trailed, offhandedly thinking of conversation. "Maybe instead of looking out the window, we should check the computer?"

That did it. "Are you trying to make me miserable?" Kate snapped and nearly spilled her coffee, more out of fear than anger. She looked down and saw the drops of coffee that had spilled onto the floor, and she sighed. "Look, why don't _you_ go and check the computer." Will slightly winced at her words.

"Geez. Bite my head off, will you?" he mumbled, getting up. He walked to Kate's desk, and suddenly, his eyes widened. "Uh, Kate? Come here," he called. "Take a look at this."

Kate was by his side in no time flat. Will sensed her tension as she read. "Will," she whispered slowly. "Are we going to die?" She looked back up at him, and for the first time, Will noticed that her eyes were a pretty blue.

But, of course, he blamed that fact on the rule that stated 'co-workers shalt not date each other.'

"Of course not." Will suddenly had idea. "In fact, I know a place. we'll be the safest people in this hurricane." There was a small tunnel below the weather station that sometimes they used in extremely bad conditions. _Since Kate is new to this place, she probably doesn't know about it, _Will figured.

Some clock's ticking was driving Kate crazy, it was that silent. _Wait a minute… clock…one AM! _"Will, what time is it?!?" she cried. He looked in front of him, beyond Kate.

"It's-" But Will was cut off because suddenly, winds that could have exploded from a hundred nuke bombs arose, breaking the windows.

"Come on!" Will shouted over the noise after coming out of his stupor. "We have to go _now_!" He grabbed Kate and he rushed to the back of the station, unlocked a door Kate had never seen before, and he pushed her gently down the stairs, locking the door behind them.

When they were in the middle of the tunnel, Will turned around to face Kate.

"It's 1:00..."

Kate grimly smiled and said, "Then let the games begin…." Subconsciously, she began wringing her hands.

It was a bad habit whenever she got nervous.

* * *

Ouch. My hand hurts from all this writing. Seriously, I don't know how those people who write REALLY long chapters survive without crippling their hands. But then again, they're probably used to it…. Hehe… 

So, once again, I leave you a cliffy! YAY! But don't worry, as you guys know, it only takes me a week to update at the most….

PS: My story is starting to have a plot! EVEN MORE YAY!

So, if you please, I'd love it if you review!

Over and out!

Lightning Streak


	8. Hostile Hosts

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom…..

YAY (again!) MORE REVIEWS! Oh joy, oh rapture, oh the happiness that is vibrating from my soul out to the room! Uh, hehe.

Okay people, I don't want to disappoint you, but I'm in the color guard now, so I probably won't be able to update as fast as I have been…but I'll still try to keep it under a week! Oh, and if you guys don't know what color guard is, it's those people who toss flags, guns, and sabers. Right now, I'm at the gun level.

Anyway, I bet you people don't really care, so I'll go to back to the fanfic!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Hostile Hosts**

**Sam's pov**

**Chapter will alternate between weather station**

* * *

"Sounds good to me," Jake's henchmen-with-no-name agreed dumbly.

They had been talking about escape plans and other junk, right in front of me. _I guess they think I'm not a big threat to their plan, _I thought angrily. But after having my hands wrenched behind my back and cuffed with actual police hand cuffs and my feet tied together, I had to agree with them. However, they never thought of gagging me.

"So," I said, my voice loud and clear, "Where'd you get the hand cuffs? Normally, only police have 'em."

Jake, obviously the smarter of the two answered. "I _am_ the police. Doing that gives me the perfect cover."

Nevertheless, I never really expected that answer. Was our justice system really that dumb? "Ookay then…" I replied. You'd be amazed at how much these guys were willing to give away. _If only I could escape…_

"Smart of me, wasn't it?" He continued. Maybe they talked_ too_ much… "I've been at this for five years, and those idiots still haven't even looked up from their donuts to figure it out."

_Cocky today, aren't we? _I raised an eyebrow. "And why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Well," Jake's henchmen answered. "Isn't it obvious three criminals working are better than two?" Suddenly, I gulped, and I tried to squelch the fear I felt. So, they weren't going to kill me. That was a good start.

But I wasn't going to get away either…

"Why? It seems to me you've been doing good enough without me. In plus, you don't want a weak girl messing everything up, do you?" I tried to coax.

"Ah, but with you, we could make twice as much! And, don't worry, the bills you make at first won't be exported. We want to make sure you can do it right. And if not," he stopped and pulled his gun out of his belt again, "Well, you get the idea." I gulped again. Maybe they weren't as laid back as I thought.

I changed the subject, afraid to go on about that one anymore. "Uh, so, you said export. Export where?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell her," Jake said. " I'll let Zarh have the honor of telling you."

The henchmen, Zarh said," Twenty percent goes into the Amity Park Mall, ten percent into our own pockets, and the rest is spread among the other states. Simple and easy as that."

"I was expecting something more, oh I don't know, _complex_. I take it you're criminals that take the easy ways out?" I taunted them.

Jake growled, and his face contorted into something akin to the likeness of crinkled bubble wrap. "_Quiet;_ I'm tired of your wise cracks." He shot a bullet only two inches from my head, scaring me and shutting me up effectively.

Zarh sighed. "Now can we finish our game?" Jake nodded and soon, all I heard was, "You got any fives?" Afraid to speak and afraid to do much else, I soon fell into much needed sleep. Which, in retrospect, wasn't all that fulfilling.

I was startled awake when I felt something splash my face: water. Coughing, I opened my eyes.

"You're awake. Good. Now we can get down to business…" Jake said, peering into my face with his black eyes. "Geez, you really need to stop wearing that black stuff around your eyes. You look like _death_…"

"Thanks," I replied dryly. Jake narrowed his eyes at me.

"Now, I'm going to test your brain to see if you can work a simple machine. Got that, who-ever-you-are?" he snarled.

I just barely nodded and I was jerked to my feet. I felt tears sting my eyes. _My day just keeps getting better and better…_

* * *

**WEATHER STATION, SOUTH CAROLINA**

* * *

Will and Kate huddled in the dark tunnel as the building above groaned like there was no tomorrow. Kate pulled a bag of chocolate from her purse and tore it open. Like any other halfway crazed woman, she began to eat it by the handfuls. 

"You know," Will pointed out, slightly in awe, "You should watch your sugar intake."

She gave him a dark glare and fitfully threw a piece at him. "I really don't care right now," Kate said in between bites. Her voice was on the border of hysterical. "I mean, we're just going to _die _anyway, so why not?"

Will sighed a bit, and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Kate, we're _not_ going to die. Do you hear me?" he said for the fifth time in two minutes.

Another blast of wind could be heard. Kate just barely jumped, but it was still visible to Will. "We could be _minutes_ away from death. I mean, just looking around this creepy tunnel makes me feel like I'm in some alternative underworld."

Will adjusted the light hanging from the ceiling, directly aiming it at her. "Are you saying you give up?" He grinned foolishly to put some joke in the question.

Kate rolled her eyes, but she smiled back. "So long as you're here, I guess not."

She handed him a Hershey bar, and he gratefully accepted it.

* * *

**BACK TO SAM**

* * *

It was starting to get dark when those _beings_ devoid of feeling gave me a piece of bread. _Gee, thanks, _I thought sarcastically. _I'll be so full after this…_

_But what did I expect? It's not like if I die that all hell will break loose… _No matter, I ate the piece of bread. Hey, it was better than nothing…

Zarh was playing around with some radio as he turned it on. "Harvey, how could you?!" Some voice cried passionately…

Zarh quickly turned the station. "I hate soap operas," he muttered. The next station, though, proved to be a weather station.

"Wow folks," the broadcaster was saying in grim amazement. "This tropical storm, dubbed Hurricane Mandi, is the worst hurricane ever recorded! Wind speeds on the coast have reached-hold on ladies and gentlemen, we're getting important information." There was a pause in his speech.

"We've just been informed that the dam on the outskirts of Amity Park has broken! Anyone within Amity Park- get to the highest point you know. The excessive rain has created _extreme _amounts of unbalanced pressure on the walls of the dam. So I repeat: Anyone within Amity Park-get to the highest points you-" Zarh shut the radio off in sheer panic.

"Man, we got to get _out _of here!" Zarh, like the lackey that he was, had no individual thought processes. He jumped up from his wooden chair, desperately shoving money in his pockets.

How original, right?

"Wait a minute," I cut in. "I thought we _were_ out of Amity Park."

"You must be bad with directions, cause we're only three miles from the dam!" Jake shouted, gathering large amounts of the counterfeit money.

Within seconds, they had at least half of it in bags. "Come on!" the fake cop barked to his lackey.

Zarh began following Jake, but stopped and looked at me. I was still tied up with handcuffs in the corner. "What about the girl?" he asked curiously.

"Leave her!" My eyes widened. My heart skipped a beat. Time stopped. "We need to get this money out of here before all that water comes! That girl will drag us down!" Zarh gave me one look of pity and ran out the door with the bags of money after Jake.

"You're just going to leave me?!?!" I yelled out. But the door just slammed from the wind.

_Don't panic Sam. Just don't panic. You'll be fine. _I vainly fought against my handcuffs, only to find that metal doesn't easily come apart.

Suddenly, I heard the distant sound of rushing water…I shakily inhaled.

_Oh my God, I'm really going to die. _

* * *

I really wanted to make this chapter longer, but would have been too long for my taste…. Actually, my hands… ANYWAY, I also wanted to put that part in Danny's pov really badly! So, that's why this chapter is soo short. 

Hey, just thought of something. Well, the fanfic that started this "Spinning Out of Control" could be used first in a sentence and then the sequel's title , "Into Sudden Darkness." Put them together and you have:

Spinning out of control into sudden darkness! HAH!

I've been meaning to mention that, I've just been forgetting about it….

Lightning Streak


	9. On Land Tsunami

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

* * *

Okay, okay, you guys all know the drill: takes deep breath. THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I really appreciate it! Oh, guess what? I'm listening to evanescence right now! Yay! It's their song: Bring me to Life. Really good. I've only heard it a couple of times, so yeah… 

Well, I've blabbered to my heart's content, SO, with pleasure I give to you:

* * *

**Chapter 8: On Land Tsunami **

**Danny's pov**

* * *

"Geez, Sam, where the heck did you go?" I whispered exasperatedly and worriedly. I had been going on the main roads for the last hour. The car was getting severely beat up, adding to my irritation. It would take miracle _(again)_ to fix it up… 

A turn in the road suddenly appeared, making me jerk the steering wheel to the left. _Oh yeah, this is the road that rounds back to Amity Park! _In other words, I had been totally lost up until now…

I was focusing on the flooded road when I saw a black piece of something float by and stick to a nearby bush. I peered closely at it and recognition popped into my mind. It was part of Sam's jacket!

_I'm on the right track! Wait a minute…Sam's jacket, but where's Sam?! Is she…?_

I didn't dwell on that last thought as I speeded more than I had in a while, my heart beating faster than ever. Who knew if Sam was still alive?!

I saw that the water was getting deeper the farther I went. _What the **hell?** _I was by what looked like a forest when I heard the distant sound of rushing water…

Suddenly, I saw what I feared: a mass wave of water.

_Oh Shit...! _

I veered my camaro off the road and wedged it in between two trees, knowing that if I didn't, I would get swept away.

I was ready for the wave when it came. However, it was fifty times worse than I expected. The wave pushed my car five feet back, crushing the bumper of the camaro and the water squeezed its way into my car by the window cracks. The impact snapped my head back with the force of what felt like a bulldozer. I felt the car shake with strain.

Then, it was gone. Just like that. Except for one thing: everything was submerged. I was holding my breath as I opened the door and swam out. The strong currents weren't as bad as they were, so I could manage to hold my own.

But then I once again saw something floating in the water: it was black and ragged…. _More of_ _Sam's jacket! I'm still (amazingly) on the right track. _I proceeded in swimming into the direction from where it floated. It sounded like a good idea to me at least. Actually, it was the only thing I had to go on, so I sort of had to…

I clung to the trees as I swam around, looking for anything else.

Another current came, knocking me head over heals, literally. I was underwater, trying to not breathe and accidentally taking in some water.

Suddenly, I didn't know what was up or down anymore. Lungs bursting, I clawed and twisted, trying to find the top. Seeing a reflection, I swam up, feeling my head break through to meet air.

I grabbed onto a nearby tree and gasped for breath- while also coughing up an entire ocean.

Surprisingly, I got oxygen in my lungs and was able to swim forwards, only to meet another current. It swept my backwards and I caught myself this time. I began swimming again, turning every which way, unsure about where I was going…

Luckily, no other strong currents came. But I was getting tired, and fast. Soon, I came upon what looked like a submerged cabin. The roof was sticking out though, the perfect place where I could rest.

I dragged my body on top of it and took in deep breaths, regaining strength.

I figured I had been taking this pretty well. _Well, then again, after seeing so many, unexpected things, you get used to them…_

I was just laying there when I heard pounding from beneath me. _What is THAT? _I pushed myself off the roof and sunk under the water.

My hand connected with a broken window, slicing it like salami. I instinctively jerked back, and I saw my blood stain the water. Grimacing, I went back up to the roof. I tore off a part of the bottom of my jeans and tied it around my hand.

I dived back down again, careful of the broken glass. I opened my eyes, trying to see through the murky water. That proved to be nearly impossible. I went back up, took a deep breath and went back down. I ripped away some of the rotting, and now easy to destroy, wood from the side. What surprised me, it just crumbled in my hand. Apparently, this wasn't a very stable cabin…

The first thing I noticed was the floating green pieces of paper everywhere. But then I saw a figure struggling in the corner. It suddenly stopped as I saw it slump over. Curious and worried, I swam over to the figure.

Because of the murky water, I wasn't sure what it was at first, but then the truth hit me like a two ton block:

It was _Sam!_

Without thinking, I picked up the now unconscious Sam and held her close, swimming her to the roof.

I couldn't do anything to try and bring her back to consciousness just yet: for some reason, specialized police chains were wrapped around her ankles, and on her hands were handcuffs. _Oh my God, Sam. _I tried everything to get them off, but they wouldn't budge against Sam's limp figure.

Deciding quickly, I jumped back into the water and back into the cabin, hoping for a key or something that would cut the chains. I carefully felt the walls, and found nothing.

I checked the floor and still : nothing. Just about to give up, I jerked my head up and found it connecting with a chair.

_Idiot! Do like to get hurt?! _I was screaming at myself. I lifted my hand up to my head and my hand found itself connecting with something hard and metallic, just above my head. I ripped it from its place and looked at it: a key!

I swam through the hole and up to the roof. Even though my search only took about a minute or two, it felt like forever… _It's times like these I'm thankful for the ability to hold my breath..._

I looked for the lock on Sam's chains. Finding it, I used the key and saw the chains loosen. I gently tore them away from Sam.

I had never listened to those "how to save your friend with CPR" lectures. Now I wish I had. I hadn't the slightest clue on how to wake Sam up. The best thing I could do was lift her up so that what ever water she had breathed didn't stay in her lungs.

After a few minutes of just sitting there, holding Sam, I felt her stir in my arms.

Suddenly, she sat up, coughing up the Pacific Ocean. I held her so that she wouldn't fall off the roof. Really, if the moment wasn't so serious, this whole ordeal would have been almost funny.

She sank back into me. "Thank you," she whispered breathlessly. I just held her tighter.

_My God, Sam. I'm so sorry..._ I buried my face in her wet, black hair.

"You should've known I'd come for you. You really scared me," I whispered into her ear. And I kissed her cheek, holding her closer.

"I'm," she gasped again, "sorry for before. I really didn't mean that stuff," she gasped. "It was just heat of the moment." She looked me in the eyes, her own violet pair sad. "I _love_ you Danny."

"I love you too Sam." My voice suddenly felt rough from emotion. "Nothing will change that."

That moment would have been actually half-way normal if not for the weather. I noticed that there was no wind or rain at that time. And in a hurricane, that can only mean one thing: the eye of the storm… If we didn't get to some sort of shelter, we'd be blown away…

Sam, who had been watching the weather too, noticed. Her eyes widened and she tugged on my sleeve. "Danny, we need to get out of here!" she cried, frightened tears running down her face. She hugged me tighter, nearly chocking me. _Dang, that girl's got grip… _

"Sam," I said, prying her hands from around my neck. "Do you think you can swim? Or do you want me to carry you? I've got an idea."

"I think I can swim, just so long as there isn't any big waves or something." She smiled weakly at me. "So, what's you plan?"

"Well, if we can get to my car, I'm pretty sure that the water level will have gone down there. You know, because it's on a hill and stuff._ SO_, we go to the car and hopefully get home on some of the higher main roads… but rather than that, I have no plan."

"Better than nothing. We need to get out of here. You ready?" She asked, slowly standing up. I wasn't quite sure if she could swim alone, but one look at her own determination told me she could. I nodded. We held hands, as to not get separated, and we took deep breaths, and jumped into the murky and cold water.

I had been so intent on saving Sam that I hadn't noticed that ice coldness before. But I tried to keep my mind off of the subject.

Sam and I once again used trees to hold on to. Every once in a while, stronger currents came. Which, of course, battered and bruised me and Sam with stray sticks and other things.

Suddenly, after swimming a small distance, I saw that the water was closer to the ground. We were almost to the hill!

I looked back at Sam. She was only a few feet away from me. Although she looked a little pale, she looked as if she was just in some swimming pool.

My hand connected with the ground at that moment. Realizing I didn't have to swim anymore, I stood up and found that the water only reached to my waist. Sam did the same.

Squinting my eyes, I also found my car. Hopefully, it still worked. But I bet it did. I mean, it had gone through worse things than this…right?

I waited for Sam to catch up. Although I was tired, I figured she was worse. She staggered through the water like every movement pained her, and as I watched her, something welled up within me. I didn't know what it was, except that it was an emotion. Maybe it was that whole "protect her" complex all over again. But as she stumbled, I suddenly found myself running to her, catching her in my arms.

It was almost..._instinct_. And as she looked back up at me with those grateful eyes, I couldn't help but play the gallant knight.

I picked her up bridal style and walked over to my oh so faithful camaro.

Lucky for me, I hadn't locked it, so I just opened the door and carefully laid Sam in the passenger seat.

"I know you don't really care for cars anymore, especially not this one, so I'm sorry: this was all I could think of-"

I was cut off by Sam.

"Danny, it's okay. I forgive you. And because of that's happened, I'm grateful that this car is hardy. Relax," she said, leaning into the seats that I too found comfortable.

"Speaking of what's happened, you still need to explain why you were handcuffed. To a chair. In an abandoned _shack,_" I said, switching the subject. Not to mention that I really did want to know why.

Sam sighed and bit her lip. She closed her eyes. "Please, ask me later. I don't feel like talking about it." I detected an almost guilty tone. But if she didn't want to talk about it, she didn't have to. I would just have to wait to ask her for about an hour or so.

Too bad I had to put the car in drive because Sam noticed my hand. "What did you do to your hand?" she asked, lifting it from the gear and inspecting it. "How did you cut it? It looks pretty deep," she added worriedly.

I took my hand back. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just cut it on glass. That's it," I pushed the gear into drive and was about to push on the gas petal when I heard Sam say:

"You know, it might help if you turned on the car."

I blushed, embarrassed. "Uh, right." She smiled, leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. Because of that cursed water, I was numb, but her kiss brought warmth into my face.

"You're cute when your confused," she smiled weakly.

I turned on the ignition and got out of the ditch, turning on to, once again, the flooded roads. Although the water was still knee high, I somehow managed to keep the car moving by hitting petal to the metal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam grip the seats tighter.

I felt the winds pick up. The car was getting harder to keep on the road. I looked outside and saw the eye was almost passed us, and that we were reentering the storm…

Grimly, I jerked the wheel every which way, trying to keep control. I looked every once in a while to Sam, seeing what her reaction was. I saw she was trying to hide it, but in her eyes was fear.

I had to agree: The wind and rain was coming back. And once the hurricane was in full force again, there would be no way out…

"Danny?" Sam's voice interrupted my train of thought. "Are we going to make it in time?" she whispered.

"I don't know," I said honestly. She deserved to know. And I really didn't know.

Luckily, we were almost to Amity Park. But by now, the winds were impossibly strong. It took all my will power to control the car's path. A couple of times, the winds switched directions and lifted up the front of the camaro. Sam's complexion was now ghost white.

What I wouldn't had done to have gotten my ghost powers back then. I could have just flown her home. But _no_, of course not. I'm always the one fate just _LOVES_ to pick on…

I wrenched the wheel to the right, avoiding a large piece of someone's roof, which was coming full force at us. My heart pounded as the roof just missed us by inches. I just guessed, but I figured Sam turned five more shades of white, if that was possible.

"OH MY GOD!_ DANNY_!" she screamed, pointing straight ahead.

"Wha-" I asked confused. I looked out the window shield again and saw what she was screaming about.

But I didn't have time to say anything as what looked like a billboard hit us dead on.

Everything went black…

* * *

Dun dun dun! How's THAT for a cliffy? But since you guys are so generous reviewers, I'll get right to work on the next chappie! 

Lightning Streak


	10. Desperate Measures

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom….

Yes, I know: I always start out with : REVIEWS! YAY! But it's true, so you can't blame me. I am really enjoying the support I'm getting!

Oh, right now my hand is cramping from typing so much, so I really hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Desperate Measures **

**Sam's pov**

* * *

Slowly, I regained consciousness from the darkness.

I felt as if I had been pulled through Hell and back again. I opened my eyes, only to see fuzzy and blurred images. But I did manage to figure that we were upside down, considering the way I was sitting.

Slowly, I regained sight. The first thing I saw was the crushed car, and I winced. Personally, I was surprised I had even _woken_up. Thinking of Danny, I turned to my left, only to see that the larger part of the billboard had lodged itself there-right in between me and Danny, missing us by inches.

My heart quickened its pace from the evidence of another near death experience. Would I have been alive if it hit a few inches closer to me?

But I forced those thoughts away as I tried to figure out how to get to the other side of the car. I needed to get out of car, for sure. But the problem was that I was trapped.

You know, there's all those movies and stunts that have wrecked cars that always blow up. And the thought of that about gave me a heart attack. _What if it does blow up?! _I clawed at the excess debris. Freeing it after only a minute or two, I worked on the actual door.

Really, it didn't look like a door. More like a crumpled, shiny piece of paper.

The more time I wasted the less it could take to kill us. I had to think. The wind was shaking the car, fraying my nerves to a point I hadn't known before.

A rain drop escaped from the damaged roof, sliding down from it and dropping onto my cheek. And for some odd reason, that gave me an idea.

I looked at the broken billboard, searching for a sturdy scrap of metal. Finding one, I jerked on it and it came out of the wood with ease. Of course, so did particles of rotten wood…

I slammed the foot long pipe into the door, hoping that it would at least break the window.

The first ram, the window did break. But that wasn't enough. The second ram, I felt some bolts loosen under my pressure. With a little more confidence, I rammed the metal into the door and felt the door give way. I kicked my foot into it and saw the door come off.

_Thank God... _I thought as I crawled out, carefully avoiding the glass and metal. _Oh my God, Danny's still in there! _I stood up, trying to get circulation back in my legs. I raced to the other side of the wreck and hoped with all my life that this wouldn't be a rerun of the drag race….

This time around I couldn't use the pipe. So, I could only do one thing: try to wrench off the crushed door.

I tugged on the door as hard as I could, only to find it practically fell apart in my hands. A funny thought struck me: _Danny's going to have a very big car bill…_

My thoughts reverted back to Danny. _Is he okay? _I peered into the car. And there he was, unconscious. I couldn't tell anything worse yet. I undid his seat buckle and carefully dragged him out. But while I did so, I smelled the familiar smell of gasoline….

Alert, I set Danny down a ways back. Hoping once again that the explosion ( if there was even going to be one) wouldn't get him.

I wiped my face with my hand, unaware that I had streaked blood on my forehead.

I looked at my hand, afraid that I was cut. I wiped my forehead with my shirt sleeve and saw that it couldn't have been mine. If it was mine, I would have had more blood on my forehead. I glanced over at Danny. It was _his _blood.

He had a small cut on the side of his head. Worried, I tore a piece from the clean part of my shirt and placed it on his cut, soaking up the blood.

"Danny," I said desperately, "Wake up. Please wake up." It suddenly occurred to me that I had said that probably a million times within the past six months...

How ironic that I was saying it _now_.

Danny stirred, groaning. He lifted a hand to his head. "Ugh, did I die?" he asked hazily.

My lips twitched with a smile. "No, you didn't die. I'm glad you didn't either." I furrowed my brows, thinking of something. "Hey, Danny, what does the smell of gasoline mean?"

If his eyes could have gotten any bigger, they would have blown up. He jumped up, despite his bruises and cut. He dragged me with him, running from the site. The wind and rain pelted us hard. It was almost impossible to breathe.

We just got behind a large tree when I heard it. The car exploded, bursting up into flames that went sky high. I gasped, my grip tightening on Danny's sleeve. He put his arms around me, as if to shield me from the wind, rain, and now flying shrapnel.

A piece of metal caught my shoulder. I jerked slightly, another gasp escaping me.

It could have been seconds, it could have been hours, but I looked up. The rain was distinguishing the fire and Danny was just….staring at it.

"Looks like I picked a bad week to drive," he grumbled sarcastically. But then he sighed. "Oh well. At least its insured." He looked at me, then to the sky, and finally to the flooding ground. "We need to get inside somewhere," he finally spoke, but this time he was serious.

I nodded my agreement, and we jogged off. We now had no transportation, and were trapped in a hurricane. _How lucky can I get? _I sarcastically thought.

I should have paid more attention to Danny. He was short of breath within only a few minutes. I stopped and turned to him, putting my arm around his shoulder. "Hey, are you going to make it?" I asked, fully concerned.

"Yeah," he gasped out. "It's just my leg." I slowly looked to his leg. A glass piece was dug into his skin, and he was bleeding. Badly.

"Oh my gosh, Danny!" I shouted over the rain. The wind was lessening. Maybe the hurricane was almost over. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"It was either that and get blown up or not get blown up," he said matter of factly. "You take your pick."

I was about to answer when a torrent of wind knocked me over. It was so powerful, I couldn't get back up. _Okay, maybe this is still the hurricane, _I thought grimly.

Danny, who was on the ground next to me, grabbed my hand. He pointed a light maybe a half mile from us. It was a house or a store. No matter what it was, I began crawling forward towards it. I looked back at Danny, who was gritting his teeth and pushing himself with the wind.

One could only hope we got to the place in time. I waited for Danny to catch up and used my left arm to support him. He looked at me gratefully, although I doubted it would do much. However, the position we were in would have been hilarious if not for the severity of the situation. I needed to get Danny medical attention, and fast.

Slowly, but surely, we crawled along. The wind wasn't giving us any slack what so ever. And the water was rising at the particular point we were at. We tried to quicken our pace.

At long last, the light proved to be a store. Danny was beginning to slip into sleep, which didn't help the moment at all. "Danny, try to stay awake until we get there," I pleaded with him. But I knew his body was failing him.

The winds once again lessened mercifully. I stood up and draped his right arm over my shoulder, letting him use me as a crutch. The store was only a football field away.

The winds came up again, only this time pushing us in our direction, actually helping us. A miracle occurred and we somehow made it to the door.

Danny, of course, had to slip into unconsciousness at that precise moment. He slumped against me. Gritting my teeth, I supported him while I banged on the doors. There was a light inside, but no one there.

_Was all this just in vain? _But then I was proved wrong. A small figure popped out from behind a door and ran towards us.

She opened the door and ushered us (mostly me) in. She took one quick look at us and exclaimed , "What the heck happened?!"

"Please," I cried desperately. " My friend and I got caught in the storm and were in a car wreck. Do you have anything that could help? Or better yet, can we stake out here with you for a while?" I babbled.

The lady's eyes portrayed sympathy and confusion. Nonetheless, she nodded. "Since this is a store, we're sure to have something to help your friend until the ambulance can get here." She helped me carry Danny over away from the door and gently laid him down. "By the way, I'm Maya." She extended her hand. "Normally, I love to meet people, but being under such bad circumstances ruins it." She laughed. "But I'm still glad to meet you."

Maya was probably only a few years older than me and Danny. She had black hair with deep brown eyes and a tanned complexion. _I take it she likes to talk… _She walked over to Danny. "Good thing I thought about being a nurse or I wouldn't even know where to start." She turned to the medical aisle and tore open a bandage. "Don't worry about this either. I'm not going to make you pay me back."

I smiled. "Good thing too. All my money is soggy!" I sat cross legged next to her as she gave me some instructions as to what to do. Listening, we made a good partnership. I held pressure while she wrapped the bandage tape around his leg. And for a second, she looked a little...pale when she saw Danny's wound. But something, or perhaps some sort of determination took over her fear, and she continued in her work.

Maybe she was afraid of blood?

I figured I could understand why she had gotten out of the whole 'doctor' proffesion.

I also figured that I could finally relax. But I _couldn't_. How could I relax after almost being crushed by a billboard, blown up by the car itself, thrown down into the ground countless times, and having to carry an average of two hundred pounds a half mile? And that wasn't even mentioning what happened before all that…. _There is no way I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. If I live that long……_

A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped to high heaven. "Oh, I'm sorry," it was Maya. "I didn't mean to scare you!" She sheepishly grinned at me.

I returned it. "Don't worry about it. It's just that so much has happened this year, it's almost impossible to believe, you know?"

"I've had a pretty exciting year myself. Between college, home life, and this hurricane, I've been busy." She stopped. "Umm, I haven't caught your name yet. You look a little familiar, you from around here?"

"Yeah. I live in Amity Park too. I'm Sam." I smiled once more. "I'm sorry, I'm so jumbled up from everything that I can't think straight."

Maya laughed. "I know that feeling only too well. Just wait until your sophomore year in college. It will do a number on your nerves. But then again, it really doesn't seem like much compared to today."

"By the way," she added shyly, "are you and the guy you're with boyfriend-girlfriend?" Maya's face showed me embarrassment. "Not to pry. You don't have to answer that."

"Everybody with half a brain at my school knows. It's not a secret. Yes, Danny and I are boyfriend-girlfriend."

Her eyes crinkled in amusement. "If he was awake, I would of have to say that you guys make a cute picture together."

I blushed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

She looked at me squarely in the eye. "You should."

"Thanks." I turned away to look at Danny. He was sleeping peacefully, lucky him. I then looked out the windows, seeing wind and rain threatening to break them.

"Don't worry about the building collapsing. It's made of pure concrete and the windows aren't glass, they're some sort of plastic. I forget what the actual name for it is," Maya said gently. Apparently, she had seen my gazes out the window.

"You're a godsend, you know that?" I said to Maya.

Maya returned to me a small smile and said:

"And you're a brave one, Sam."

* * *

Ah, the wonderful feeling of a chapter complete. Yeah…I added in a new character! YAY! She seems really nice, almost too nice, but that's for a reason I will get to in later chapters. So, what'd ya'll think of it? Please review! I'm not updating until I get at least EIGHT reviews!

Lightning Streak

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**Rainstorm Amaya:** Well, here is the next chappie! I really hope you liked it! 

**DannyPhantomLover:** Well, I hope you don't plan on using that chainsaw! I'm glad that I have ya hooked, but don't worry, I'm working on the next chapter right now!

**Soccergurl1990:** I didn't really leave this chapter off with much of a cliffie...oh well...Thanks for the reviews and I hope to upload the next chapter soon!

**Chibi-kat-316:** You know, that billboard thing had me cracking up too when I first thought of it... Thanks for calling my story cool! I shall try not to let you down!

**Unicorns-baby:** Weird, I had never thought of that...In the first chapter however, I did state that a lot of time had past before Danny was healed. Let's just say he recovered during then...Sorry for that. I normally try to not overlook anything... Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!

**AngelofLight:** evil laughter. Yes, I know I can be evil with cliffies. But hey, at least this time there wasn't so much of one. I hope you enjoyed it!

**InuPhantom:** I seem to be adding in a lot of cliffies, haven't I? Well, I'm glad that you want the next chapter, it makes me feel so loved!

**Dannys-Ghostly-Girl:** I feel sorry for the carrot... :) Thanks for the review! It was quite funny too!

**Rachel Ember:** Don't worry, this story is still quite a ways from being over. And I don't go on hiatuses, I just lose my brains for a short period of time and then TaDa! I have a new idea and type up the chapter. Luckily, I have the next chapter almost a quater of the way done right now...Thanks for the review!

**Fluffyrachel:** As much as I'd like to update Living on the Edge, I have no ideas. However, that's where you can come in. Do you have any, for I'll gladly take them. I just already have most of this story planned out, and that's way I update faster...anyway, thanks for the review!

**Yamaromantist:** Hey, long time no see! Thanks for da review! I love to know that you still read my stories:)

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**Remember people: I need eight reviews please to update!**


	11. My Guardian Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom….WHY?! Oh yeah….I didn't come up with DP…disclaimers take the fun out of everything………

I FEEL LOVED! Yeah, I know, I say that a lot. But it's the truth. Thank you so much for the support! I'll be sure to review other people's stories as pay back! ;)

Oh, and, since I just came up with a new fanfic, my time will be cut in half between typing it and this one. I should have told you that earlier, now that's been out forever.….I'm sorry! But if it makes you feel any better, you can always read that one too! Nah, I'm just kidding. But if you want to you can. It's called

Living On The Edge…..Yeah……..

Oh, and another thing: A lot of people ask when Danny will get his powers back. The truth is, I really don't know yet. For some odd reason, I like the human Danny better. I like realism a lot, so I'm sorry if this seems like an original story. I really hope that you don't get mad at me for that. Hides under computer desk.

So, enough of hearing the authoress ramble on. TO THE STORY!

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**Chapter 10: My Guardian Angel **

**Danny's pov**

* * *

A small pain brought me out of my sleep. My leg had connected with something. I tried to open my eyes, finally succeeding. I saw some girl staring up at me, which of course surprised me.

"Sam, your boyfriend just woke up!" she exclaimed. _She knows Sam? _The next thing I noticed was that my head, my arm, and my leg was stiff as a board. I looked down and saw some of that white tape you'd see at the hospital. Was I there?

But I couldn't have been. I was on the floor of what looked like a store. _Hold on, back up. How'd I get here? Last thing I remember was sharing a face plant with the ground. I was outside. So-Sam. Sam brought me here?!_

It had to have been that store we spotted outside. How else would we have found this place?

I looked around for Sam. Only a few lights were on. Probably emergency lights. Of course, that made it hard to see. I saw a dark figure in the shadows though. It was coming to me, so I guessed that it was Sam.

"Danny, oh my God, are you okay?" Yep. It was Sam.

"Yeah," I croaked. My voice was a little hoarse, and I had a headache that matched being thrown into a wall. But rather than that, I was fine.

"How's your leg?" she asked.

"Better. Who's your friend?" I asked, curiously.

"Her name's Maya. She's the girl that owns this store." Maya waved at me.

"Hi Danny! Sam told me about you. So, your car literally blew up?" she asked, interested.

"Yeah."

"Ouch. But hey, you guys lived, right?" she said, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. The darkness and eerie sound of wind and rain overtook happiness. "I'm sort of hungry, you guys want anything?"

The word 'random' suddenly came to mind.

"How could we-" I began, but then remembered something. This was a store. Stores have food. _Wow, Danny. Always on the cutting edge, aren't you? _My stomach suddenly growled, answering the question. "Sure. What'd ya got?"

Maya smiled. "Just about anything. Turkey, ham, chips, coke. Etcetera, etcetera."

I made up my mind. "Umm, I'll just have some chips and water.. If there is any." Maya nodded and turned to Sam.

"Carrots would be good and some water," Sam said.

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't want ham or anything?"

"I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh." And with that, Maya went to go get the food, leaving Sam and me alone.

Then, unaccountably, Sam laughed. I arched an eyebrow and she just laughed even more. I tried sitting up, finding that I could. I leaned up against the wall and asked, "What?"

Tears of mirth were streaming down her face. "We've had so much happen to us, it's funny! Just think about it. How many people go through this?!"

My eyes widened. _She's gone hysterical. _I put my good arm around her. "Deep breaths, Sam. You've gone hysterical." My result was making her crack up five times worse.

It took her a while to get under control, but she stopped laughing. "I haven't gone hysterical," she said, "It's just that it's funny we've gone through so many things in such a short time. Yes, weird, I know. But still!" She smiled, and I couldn't help smiling back. I finally got the message: It was so ironic, it was funny.

"You know," I said, "it's a good thing this is a store. Do you know how much trouble we would have been in if it wasn't?"

Sam looked thoughtful. "You're right. That is strange though. I mean, it was almost as if we were meant to be here. Do you have that feeling too?"

Quite frankly, I did. "Yeah, I do. Fate's strange, huh?"

"Yep."

"So, what do you think of Maya?" I asked her. I hadn't gotten her opinion on her yet.

"She's a good friend. But something seems strange about her too, doesn't it?"

I thought about it. "Maybe. I don't know. I haven't really paid her that much attention to know."

We could have gone hours on that subject, but just then Maya herself walked back out of the shadows with a flashlight and carrying bags of stuff. Hopefully food.

"Got 'em! I'm starved, now that I think about it. I've been so worried about the storm that I've been neglecting to eat!" She lightly laughed. She set the food down and was about to sit down by us when she snapped back up. "Oh, I forgot something!" With that, she took up her flashlight and disappeared into the darkness once again.

"You're right," I whispered, making sure that she wouldn't over hear me. "Something is strange about her."

Sam sighed. "But I guess we'll never know, huh?"

"You're probably right," I replied , "but at least I have a feeling she's not a ghost."

"I bet you don't," Sam said, smiling. "Of course, if she_ was_ a ghost, blue steamy stuff would be coming out of your mouth."

"Why is that funny?" I asked defensively, seeing Sam's eyes crinkle up in laughter. But the scene of her laughing was good enough in itself. Very seldom these past days have I seen her laugh.

She stopped laughing. "You know," she said slowly, "I don't know!" But that, in a way, was funny and we were just insane enough to laugh at anything.

Soon, Maya came back, carrying with her some blankets and sleeping bags. If it wasn't for the fact I was still hurt, and a hurricane wasn't raging out, it would have almost been a camp without a campfire.

Except for the fact I still had a headache with the force of the hurricane, I was actually enjoying myself. It seemed even the hurricane's winds and rain was normal. Which was, of course, completely abnormal.

The winds were still battering the place up. But surprisingly, the building held. A back window was cracked, but that was it. The rain was starting to climb up over the windows, signaling we were being practically buried underwater. In a little underwater bubble. But it seemed normal. Why was that? _I'll just forget that question now and solve it another day…._

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Sam began talking. "So Maya," she said, "I remember you telling me about college. What do you major in?"

I saw Maya tighten her grip on her sleeping bag. But she said in a light manner, "Actually, I'm majoring in real estate." She laughed. "For some reason, I have good persuading and selling skills. Weird, huh?"

I smiled. "That is…unusual."

She changed the subject. "What do you guys plan to do?"

Sam was the first to answer. "Really, I haven't thought much about it. What about you, Danny?"

"I haven't really thought about it either," I said sheepishly. _Actually, I really have no clue…_

"Well," Maya said, "if you ever need help getting money, just ask me. Believe me, I've gone and applied to every single scholarship that I could. I still have some websites if you want them."

"That'd be great!" Sam said. "Lucky for me though, my folks already have most of my college money."

I took that as my cue to cut in. "I'd love to have those websites too. That is, if we even have internet after this." I couldn't even see through the windows anymore. It was all water and drifting debris.

A silence surrounded us, deafening my ears. We had all realized the severity of the times. Who knew we would make it out of this alive?

I looked over at Sam, who looked like she was going to cry. My eyes glanced over at Maya, who looked like she was in deep thought. She didn't seem worried at all, which surprised me.

"Hey, Maya?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?"

"Umm, hold on," she said, looking down at her watch. "Oh wait, it's 2:00 AM. Whoa. I need to get to sleep or I'll be grouchy tomorrow." She disappeared into her sleeping bag. "I don't know about you guys, but good night! Actually, good morning."

Within minutes, I saw her breathing slow and the lump that looked like her body relax.

"We should probably go to sleep too," Sam said to me.

I nodded. "You're right. Good morning." I gently moved into my own sleeping bag, thankful for it once again. I felt Sam smile at my last remark.

"Good morning," she said. She flipped a switch, turning off the lights. "And Danny?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." As I laid my head down, I felt myself surrender to the darkness.

* * *

**Dream Sequence**_

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_

_I was in some sort of forest, walking around aimlessly for someone to pop out at me. However, I wasn't scared. I tried to be, and I couldn't be. The more closely I looked, the less shadows there were. _

_There was a shimmering light on the far side. I was compelled to it, and found myself running. Through the bushes and trees, I saw a lady. _

_The lady was glowing, looking to be about twenty from the looks of her. She wasn't human. Her features were too calm. And she wasn't a ghost. My ghost sense didn't go off around her. The light around her dimmed when she saw me. _

_"I've been expecting you," she said. Her voice was clipped, but melodic, and it echoed. I knew that voice, but I just couldn't place it. "And I must say, you are a very strong individual, Daniel." _

_"You can call me Danny. Believe me, nobody calls me Daniel," I replied. Who was she? And why was I here? _

_"I know fully well who you are." My eyes widened. "You might know me. Let me refresh your memory. _

_"Do you remember when you were still in the hospital and you just went back to sleep after waking up to Sam?" I nodded. "Do remember hearing people talking over you?"_

_"Yeah. I do," I answered. She didn't look like she would use stuff against me, so, why not tell her? She said she knew me anyways. "I remember hearing Sam and another voice. She wasn't human or ghost, and said something about guardian angels. Then, she just disappeared. No sounds or anything." I put two and two together. "You were her?!" _

_"It was I, your guardian angel," she said. My eyes widened to look like saucers. I was speechless. I mean, what would you have done if your guardian angel was talking to you? "Daniel," she said, "I know you are worried right now. Fear not, for you are not meant to die yet. Neither is Sam, who I must say is as strong as you." she smiled. _

_"I will be with you. Trust your instincts though, for I can not interfere with your course of choices." _

_Suddenly, she disappeared and so did the scenery. The colors collided together, leaving me to wake up…_

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**END DREAM SEQUENCE**

* * *

I woke up, finding my headache was gone. Still confused over my dream, I sat up. 

_That was my guardian angel? But how did she…Where did she? _I was so confused, but yet it was so simple.

She had said she would be with me somehow. Did that mean physically, or mentally? She also said to trust my instincts, but how could I trust them when so many things went wrong _because_ I trusted them?

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Oh man oh man, I think I really messed up Danny's guardian angel. I don't know. It's hard to think as an angel would, you know, with how they'd talk and stuff. Especially considering I'm NOT an angel. What did you guys think? I need NINE reviews to update again! 

Lightning Streak


	12. Sleepless in Amity Park

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, but what's new? And I also don't own Linkin Park's "Points of Authority."**

**:Evil Laughter: MUAHAHAHAH! This story, it LIVES!**

**You know, this story is starting to wind down….In fact, maybe only a few chapters are left! Oh well, I still have my other stories to work on.**

**Thanks for all the positive reviews! You've made me a happy authoress!**

**Sorry for the long wait… (again) gets bombarded by flying trash.**

**I bet I scared some of you when I said this fic was discontinued, didn't I? Fear not! For as long as I get ideas (preferably from my reviewers) I'll write to the very end.**

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_Recap from last Chapter:_

I woke up, finding my headache was gone. Still confused over my dream, I sat up.

_That was my guardian angel? But how did she…Where did she? _I was so confused, but yet it was so simple.

She had said she would be with me somehow. Did that mean physically, or mentally? She also said to trust my instincts, but how could I trust them when so many things went wrong _because_ I trusted them?

* * *

**Chapter 11: Sleepless in Amity Park**

**Sam's pov**

* * *

I shifted and turned, trying to sleep. Countless times, I woke up. And this time, I knew I definitely wasn't going to be able to sleep that night. 

I groaned, half way out of my sleeping bag and half way in. I needed to do something before I exploded with energy.

So, I carefully stood up, trying not to wake up anyone else, and tip toed around Danny and Maya. It was still dark, I guessed. I had almost forgotten we were halfway submerged in water. In fact, it had slipped my mind entirely.

I walked to the large windows on the other side of the store, looking out. Not much of a scene. Except for the stray driftwood, half the window was murky with water. The skies were of a deep gray with the hurricane still raging within it. However, the winds, from what I could tell, were weakened.

With a little more hope, I walked away, intent on finding something_, anything, _to do.

Then it hit me to find all I could about Maya. I knew I had absolutely no reason to suspect her of anything, but a nagging voice in my mind told me something was up. And now would be the perfect time to investigate.

So, for starters, I looked around her desk. Papers were strewn all over it, and most of them were debts for college. _Wait a minute, _I thought, taking a second look at the sheets of paper.

_Doesn't Maya major in real estate? These debts say journalism! _I raised my eyebrow. _So, how can that be? Maya is hiding something, but what? And why? _

But then I shook myself out of my suspicions_. She helped me and Danny, and is letting us stay here with her. Would an evil person do that for others? I think not. Get a hold of yourself, Sam. Your just paranoid, _I thought again. I had to be just paranoid.

_And in plus, why would stuff like that matter? _

Setting the paper back down, I walked around the desk and back to the windows. What else could I have done? I leaned back on the wall and closed my eyes, reflecting on just about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. The more I thought about it, the more I knew that I was lucky to be alive….

A sudden noise startled me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Danny sitting up with a confused expression on his face. He seemed disoriented. He looked up to find me staring at him.

"Uh, hi Sam…" he said, running his fingers through his hair. "What are you doing up?" He cocked his head slightly to the right.

I leaned up against the window, feeling a coldness creep from it into my skin. "I just couldn't sleep."

"I did...I sort of wish I hadn't…"

I raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I take it that you wish the sun would come out too?"

"Yeah." He carefully stood up and walked over to me, slipping his arms around me. "Of course, this is just as good." I lifted my head up for a kiss.

We suddenly heard a rustling noise and quickly drew apart. Maya was sitting up and looking at us sleepily. "Is it morning already?" she asked.

Danny and I blushed. I recovered the quickest. "Technically, yes," I said, checking the clock that Maya had brought out of the shelves. It read 4:17 A.M.

Maya covered a yawn. "Oh, okay." She stretched and laid back down. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going back to sleep." Within minutes, quiet snores were heard.

"So…" Danny said. "Umm…What's there to do?"

"Well," I responded thoughtfully, "We could rummaged through the shelves for Cds or something."

"Good idea."

And so, after finding a couple of flashlights (and batteries), we ventured out into the store.

And yes, the hurricane was still going on. Perhaps not as strong though. _Infact, more like an oversized thunder storm…_

Anyway, I somehow managed to find the electronics section of the store. "Found it!" I cried over the shelves. Danny's silhouette turned around and walked this way.

"What do they got?" We shined our flashlights over the collection, searching for anything that caught our attention.

"Aha!" I cried out in triumph. I picked up the CD and showed it to Danny. " I love this band!"

Danny shot me an amused look. "I see that."

"Do you think Maya would mind if we ransacked the store in search for a stereo?" I asked.

"Depends how you look at the situation. In my perspective," Danny added, "I'd say let's go for it."

And so our search for a portable stereo commenced. _Geez, I make it sound like we're on a top secret mission…Oh yeah, like I'm **really** a secret agent…_

I walked through the halls with Danny. Of course, we weren't looking where we were going……

And ended up ramming into each other.

Both our flashlights flew out of our hands as we fell to the floor. (And that, might I add, was extremely painful….)

And extremely embarrassing.

Imagine yourself on top someone you really like. There's no lights, and you're faces are inches away from each other.

Yeah…

"Umm," I said, trying to break the ice, "I think we should probably get the flashlights." The shock from the fall turned them off, giving us no light whatsoever.

_Wow, _I thought sarcastically, _those flashlights work **real** well, don't they? _

I looked down at Danny's face, noticing the embarrassment on his face too.

"Yeah, I think we should," he replied unevenly. We slowly untangled ourselves and began searching for the fallen flashlights. And after a tense five minutes, I found my flashlight.

I glanced over at Danny when I heard him slightly gasp in pain. He was holding his left arm as he slumped over.

"Oh my God, Danny are you okay?" I asked worriedly. He hadn't cut that arm when the car blew up, so what was wrong?

"I think I tore my muscle," he said through gritted teeth. "I couldn't feel that arm at all after the car blew up. I guess I just used it too much afterward and the muscle tore."

"You probably still need rest then. There's not much we can do right now _except _rest." And so, slowly, we headed back to our "camp."

While Danny lied back down, I decided to defy the darkness and turn on a flashlight in search of my CD.

_I'll go and look for a CD player while I'm at it. Heck, it's not like I'm going anywhere soon._

_I have such a happy, **peaceful** life, don't I? _

Finally, after retracing my steps to the Electronics Section, I found my (well, I can't really say_ my,_ but who cares?) CD.

_You know, I bet my money has dried out by now. I should probably give some to Maya when she wakes up, you know, for all of the stuff she's given to us. _

Anyway, I guess you could say that finding a CD player would be the next most helpful thing in listening to music. So that's what I tried to find next. To make a long story short, stores have a lot of things, and CD players are among said things. I quickly picked one out, tore it out of the plastic, and popped in my CD.

Unfortunately, music has always been something to make me sleepy.

In minutes, I had drifted from the planes of reality to something that bordered between fact and fiction...

_**

* * *

**__A camera focused in on a reporter. " Rescue teams have been sent all around the Inundation Zones of Hurricane Mandi. The Death Toll has risen within the past few days as bodies are found under the remains of their town."_

_"Perhaps one of the most tragic stories originated in Amity Park. There, two teenage bodies were found under the collapsed remains of an old store. The store was submerged in water, only two miles away from the broken dam. "_

_"After identifying their bodies, we were able to talk with their parents; the Mansons and the Fentons."_

_The scene switched to a funeral, where two caskets were closed. _

_"I just…I don't…I can't believe," Mrs. Manson cried on the shoulder of her husband. He comfortingly put his arm around his wife. "It's all my fault!" she said tearfully. _

_"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. It just happened," Mr. Manson replied. _

_"And it was my fault when I sent Danny after Sam," she continued. "It was my fault they both died." _

_And in the caskets lied the empty shells of Danny and Sam…_

_**

* * *

**_

"Sam! Wake up!" I heard Danny calling my name.

Slowly, I reawakened to see a concerned Danny searching my eyes.

"Are you okay? You were acting like all Hell froze over before I woke you up," he said worriedly.

I sat up, trying to comprehend reality from fiction. I wasn't dead. Neither was Danny. It was all a dream, I kept telling myself over and over again.

"I- I'll be okay," I replied. _Not_…

Apparently, Danny got the message because he suddenly wrapped me up in a hug.

As I tried to calm down, Danny stroked my hair.

"It was only a dream, Sam," he said comfortingly.

But _will_ it be only a dream? That could become very real. Too real.

I didn't even want to know what my odds _were_.

I closed my eyes and let myself relax against Danny….

And I guess we both fell asleep in that position: Danny sitting against the wall, and me leaning against his shoulder.

_**

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**_

**I'm so sorry that took forever. And I know that this chapter isn't as….sarcastically humorous as the other ones, but I tried. Hey, it's the best I could do without inspiration….. **

**Please review and become my inspiration!**

**Lightning Streak**


	13. Signs

Disclaimer: Once again, I'm forced against my will to say that I don't own Danny Phantom….Evil disclaimers….

YAY! I'm back…AGAIN! (coughs)…….yeah…..Um, I really don't have much to say except thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate that!

_**Note: **__This is one of my first stories I wrote on here; you have been warned! Some of the things are definitely not my way of writing any more, and many places in this chapter are choppy. The plot may seem weird, and the descriptions might not make sense. Actually, I don't think it's __**that**__ bad, but it could be a lot better. :) But since I had a few people ask me to continue this story (that, and I never really wanted to abandon it), I decided to post this chapter. I tried to stick with the sarcastic humor as best I could. _

I hope that, for what it's worth, you get a little enjoyment out of it:)

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**Chapter 12: Signs**

**Danny's POV

* * *

**

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was pain shooting up and down my back.

Due to the rather agonizing intensity of said pain, I was suddenly willing to bet money that it was from the position I fell asleep in. Or perhaps it was because I was still aching from everything else that had happened. Or maybe, if my bones were being really creative, it was a combination of the two.

The _next _thing I noticed was the lump that was encased in my arms. And that lump was formally known as Sam.

I tried to move without waking her up in the process. Which, of course, wasn't very easy...

Sam just sighed and gripped harder onto my shirt.

Now, as I'm sure you can imagine, the situation I managed to put myself in was both funny...and slightly embarrassing. For me, anyway. Not Sam, because she was asleep and basically dead to the world.

Go figure. I'm always the comic relief.

I felt my face tinge red, and once again I tried to pry her off of me. It was sort of a tedious job, one that required utmost concentration to keep Sam from waking up. Luckily, she let go of me this time. I breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, careful of my injuries.

Speaking of which, I've come to a conclusion: I'm accident prone.

Bet you saw that one coming…

Stretching, I looked over to Maya. And by the way she was continually moving, I guessed she was waking up. She tossed and turned, unintentionally wrapping herself in her blankets and setting herself up for one _heck_ of a time getting out.

Looking at the clock, I saw that it was about eight in the morning. And, as you could imagine (once again), it wasn't like you could tell by looking outside, or anything…

I used whatever I could hold onto to help me along as I took slow, sure steps away from our little "campsite." My vision still was adjusting to actually _seeing_, and I was still really groggy from getting my first good night's sleep in days.

Getting beat up by Mother Nature also made me a little sore, too.

And boy, let me tell you, it was pretty slow going. I was just so _tired_, for some reason that I couldn't understand. It sort a felt like whenever you got your soul sucked out, you know?

Well, wait a minute. I guess you wouldn't know…

I don't even think _I _know, actually. But still, it's a good comparison, right?

Sluggish, and still possibly sleep-walking, I walked down the halls of the store, listening to the soft clicks that my shoes made on the tiles. The distant sound of rushing water harmonized in the background, and, if it weren't for the fact that I was still in possible danger, I would've said it was peaceful.

Unfortunately, my life and the word _peaceful_ never quite had a happy relationship. It seemed that everywhere I turned, something dangerous or anything dealing with death followed me.

Literally.

You know, Fate loved to pick on me. Had I ever mentioned that before?

I mean, come on…Let's face it: people my age are _not_ meant to be pulled to the grindstone every other day. Heck, _most_ people in the world don't have as many life-or-death adventures (for lack of a better word) than I've had. Most people never had ghost powers, or got stuck in some run-down Walmart wannabe while a freakin' hurricane raged outside and sunk them in about thirty feet of water.

I'll never be thirsty for water _ever _again.

And you know, that revelation tells me something. It tells me something special; it tells me something profound.

It tells me that I'm basically doomed to be the comic relief in someone's life for the rest of my own.

Although, I guess one good thing is that I've lived through all of these mishaps.

I think that's a pretty good start, in my book.

Nevertheless, by that time, I had officially made it to the snack region of the market, and I gladly picked off a bag of chips to eat for breakfast.

Nutritious...

McDonalds would be proud.

And my arteries would eventually thank me.

I leaned up against the corner of the stacked shelf, popping a barbeque chip into my mouth. My eyes drifted up to the windows of the store, and watched as debris and shrapnel occasionally floated by.

I even saw a fish. Once.

But it was just a goldfish, so I figured that it got lucky, and the hurricane had broken his fishbowl. But then again…

…I squinted a bit to get a closer look. Despite my original impression, the goldfish wasn't actually swimming, and, to _further_ my new forming opinion, it was floating upside down.

Okay, so maybe it _wasn't_ lucky...

I just hoped it wasn't a sign.

"Hey Danny," came a voice from behind me. Wheeling around, I came face to face with Maya, who was rubbing sleepily at her eyes.

"Oh, hey Maya." I munched on another chip, reveling in the trans-fat covered goodness. "How'd ya sleep?"

She took one sleep-zombie glance at me, and then yawned. "Not bad for a hard tile floor…" She yawned again. "What time is it?"

"'Bout eight o' clock," I managed to say between fistfuls of chips. Screw manners: I was hungry.

"Really?" the college student asked, her eyes snapping from sleep's after effects. "I slept in _that _late?" She sounded almost surprised, and the way that her jaw dropped told me that she didn't normally

"Uh, yeah…" I shrugged casually. "What's wrong with that? It's not like it's one in the afternoon."

She gave me an odd look. You know, the type that said, 'I don't get it.' But I just shrugged.

"So is Sam not up yet?" she asked good-naturedly, risking a glance at my bag of chips. Catching her gaze, I picked another bag off the store shelf, and pitched it to her. She easily caught it, and tore it open.

"Nope," I replied. A part of me sort of wished she was, though…

Not like I'd voice _that_ opinion.

Anyways, Maya had resorted to staring at the wide windows. Her gaze was kinda distant, as if she was thinking of something important. "Too bad we're stuck down here," she whispered hazily. "I'm beginning to miss the sky."

I snorted. "Me too." _In more ways than one…_

But seriously, I doubted that she could understand the whole "I-can-fly" ordeal. So I didn't go into much detail after that and left the effort to converse up to her.

"I guess I just never realized how dark it is down here," Maya said thoughtfully. She leaned up against one of the metal supports of the wall, and then looked back at me. And she asked me with an almost wistful tone, "Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?" I casually popped another chip into my mouth.

She hesitated for only a short moment. "…Do you believe in guardian angels?"

And I choked on my chip.

* * *

…_Wow, that really sucked. :) But I haven't updated this story in so long that I'm probably gonna take another chapter just to get re-used to the idea. Don't worry, though; I'll try and make the next chapter better! This one was just meant as a filler chappie anyways…_

_Still, it would make me one very happy and inspired authoress if I knew that people still liked this story!_

_**Please review and tell me what you think!**_

_Thanks,_

_Lightning Streak _


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